Ladies’s college or university basketball has observed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. With the elevated recognition and industrial 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 carry to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Females’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the economic rewards that include constructing powerhouse plans.
Right here’s a think about the 5 greatest-paid Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
1. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Wage: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on for being the gold standard in Gals’s higher education basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has designed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Considering the fact that taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to numerous NCAA Remaining Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, creating her the very best-paid Black head coach in Gals's university basketball heritage. That deal has considering that been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Wage: $two.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in college or university basketball history—Gentlemen's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and consistent efficiency have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present-day deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. While UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
Following a successful two-ten years operate at Baylor, wherever she gained three national M88 titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her second season with the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival came having a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, generating her one among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With several meeting championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.
Her very long-phrase effects and advancement of top-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her recent offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Gals's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire report and it has led Stanford to a few national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Closing 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective in the developing acceptance and money viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting more countrywide Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are expanding, and company sponsors have gotten a lot more invested in Females's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition of your effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry for their programs along with the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Although these five coaches at present lead how concerning earnings, numerous Other people are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of such coaches has manufactured considerable strides with their respective courses and could split in to the best 5 in the approaching years as women'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 tradition in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. As being the sport proceeds to mature in reputation and guidance, we can count on these salaries—and also the profiles of these leaders—to continue rising.
Females’s higher education basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s location the rate for the way forward for aggressive sporting activities.