Females’s college basketball has observed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. With the increased reputation and industrial accomplishment of your sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the financial rewards that come with setting up powerhouse applications.
Right here’s a think about the 5 best-compensated Gals’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their remarkable salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to be the gold typical in Girls’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to many NCAA Last 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million deal, producing her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Gals's school basketball heritage. That offer has given that been restructured and prolonged with efficiency incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Annual Income: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked This system into The most dominant dynasties in college or university basketball background—Adult males's or Females’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable effectiveness have ensured valuable agreement renewals. His current contract includes a foundation wage, media obligations, clothing bargains, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. When UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership continue to keep his benefit high.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
Following a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where by she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball world by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period With all the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a new amount of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived by using a rewarding 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, earning her considered one of the very best-paid Women of all ages’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of regularity at Maryland due to the fact taking over in 2002. With M88 various convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period effect and development of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student advancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just considered one of the best-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Remaining Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has not been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, progress of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her place among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective in the increasing attractiveness and economical viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket sales are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, leadership, and achievement these coaches deliver to their courses plus the sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently guide just how with regard to earnings, many Other individuals are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each individual of those coaches has produced sizeable strides with their respective systems and could crack in to the major five in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Girls’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command substantial salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity continues to increase in popularity and guidance, we are able to be expecting these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Females’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive athletics.