five Highest-Compensated Women's University Basketball Coaches
five Highest-Compensated Women's University Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Ladies’s college basketball has witnessed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. With the elevated reputation and industrial good results in the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the economical benefits that come with building powerhouse courses.
Below’s a consider the 5 optimum-paid women’s college or university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their remarkable salaries but additionally the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold standard in Gals’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed 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 countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $two.9 million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in college or university basketball history—Guys's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His recent agreement features a foundation wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. Although UConn has confronted modern problems with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership retain his price significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Right after An effective two-decade operate at Baylor, where she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball entire world by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived that has a worthwhile 8-calendar year, $23.six million contract, making her amongst the very best-paid women’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Yearly Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a model of regularity at Maryland due to the fact taking over in 2002. With various meeting championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in nationwide contention for more than two decades.
Her very long-term effects and advancement of top-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and scholar enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply one of the highest-paid out coaches but will also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her put among the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of those coaches are reflective with the escalating popularity and financial viability of women’s college basketball. Applications are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket sales are expanding, and company sponsors have M88 gotten far more invested in Girls's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their courses plus the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches currently guide the best way with regards to earnings, several Many others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of such coaches has manufactured considerable strides with their respective programs and could crack to the top 5 in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to develop.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the sport proceeds to develop in level of popularity and assistance, we could expect these salaries—along with the profiles of such leaders—to continue growing.
Gals’s college basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the pace for the future of competitive athletics.