Ladies’s university basketball has viewed exponential growth in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Along with the amplified recognition and commercial good results in the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these prime-tier coaches provide to their groups and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 optimum-paid out Ladies’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their outstanding salaries but in addition the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Approximated Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Because 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 contract, generating her the best-paid Black head mentor in women's higher education basketball history. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and extended with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly 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 began in 1985, has transformed the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball background—Gentlemen's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured valuable deal renewals. His current contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Whilst UConn has faced latest issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million
Following a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next year 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 high-profile arrival arrived that has a worthwhile 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, earning her amongst the very best-paid Women of all ages’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Once-a-year Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a design of consistency at Maryland due to the fact taking over in 2002. With many convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide competition for over 20 years.
Her long-expression influence and enhancement of best-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present deal includes bonuses for educational general performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and college student development.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one of the very best-paid out coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win file and it has led Stanford to 3 national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate Four appearances.
When VanDerveer hasn't been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her put among the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Modifying Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective in the developing level of popularity and money viability of girls’s faculty basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide Tv set promotions, ticket profits are expanding, and company sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of your effort, leadership, and good results these coaches deliver for their courses plus the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has created considerable strides with their respective programs and will break in the leading 5 in the coming yrs as Females's basketball carries on to develop.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to increase in recognition and guidance, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to carry on soaring.
Females’s faculty basketball M88 isn’t just maintaining speed—it’s placing the rate for the future of competitive sports activities.