5 Highest-Compensated Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches

Females’s higher education basketball has observed exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past ten years. Together with the greater attractiveness and professional success of the Activity, especially in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these leading-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities keep on to take a position in their Gals’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that come with setting up powerhouse applications.

Below’s a look at the 5 highest-paid out women’s school basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their amazing salaries but additionally the achievements that justify their elite payment.

one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Annual Salary: $3.one million

Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold typical in Females’s college basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to many NCAA Last Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.4 million deal, earning her the highest-paid Black head mentor in Women of all ages's faculty basketball background. That offer has since been restructured and extended with overall performance incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.

2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $two.9 million

A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has transformed the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in school basketball historical past—Adult males's or women’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His present agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Although UConn has faced latest issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.

3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Yearly Income: $2.7 million

Just after a successful two-ten years run at Baylor, wherever she received 3 countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball earth by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her next time with the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a brand new stage of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.

Her large-profile arrival arrived by using a profitable 8-12 months, $23.6 million contract, making her one of the best-paid women’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.

four. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Yearly Wage: $1.4 million

Brenda Frese has quietly developed a design of consistency at Maryland considering that taking up in 2002. With many meeting championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in national rivalry for more than twenty years.

Her prolonged-phrase affect and growth of major-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her recent offer includes bonuses for tutorial general performance, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and pupil enhancement.

5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $one.three million

Tara VanDerveer is not merely certainly one of the very best-compensated coaches but in addition the winningest coach in NCAA women's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn record and has led Stanford to three countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate Four appearances.

When VanDerveer hasn't been one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her spot among the all-time greats in coaching history.

A Changing Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The growing salaries of such coaches are reflective of your growing recognition and economical viability of ladies’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting extra national Tv set promotions, ticket profits are rising, and corporate sponsors have gotten additional invested in Girls's sports.

The rise in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition with the M88 labor, Management, and achievement these coaches convey to their packages and the sport in general.

Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches currently lead how with regards to earnings, quite a few Other folks are going up:

Kelly Graves (Oregon)

Vic Schaefer (Texas)

Jeff Walz (Louisville)

Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)

Each of those coaches has built substantial strides with their respective systems and will break in to the best five in the coming a long time as women's basketball proceeds to mature.

Remaining Feelings
The days of underfunded women’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command higher salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to improve in reputation and aid, we will hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of such leaders—to carry on growing.

Gals’s school basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s placing the rate for the way forward for competitive sports activities.