five Optimum-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
five Optimum-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s college basketball has observed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the enhanced level of popularity and business achievements of your Activity, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and Management these major-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include setting up powerhouse systems.
Here’s a look at the five greatest-paid out Gals’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their amazing salaries but in addition the achievements that justify their elite payment.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Approximated Annual Wage: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold typical in Girls’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Considering that taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Closing Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million agreement, earning her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Gals's university basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and extended with efficiency incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Income: $2.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into The most dominant dynasties in university basketball record—Gentlemen's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady general performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His latest deal features a foundation wage, media obligations, clothing promotions, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Whilst UConn has faced modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management retain his benefit large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
Immediately after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won three countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball earth by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just 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 superior-profile arrival arrived using a rewarding 8-12 months, $23.6 million deal, earning her considered one of the very best-paid Women of all ages’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – College of M88 Maryland
Approximated Annual Income: $1.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking on in 2002. With several meeting championships, a national 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-term impression and advancement of major-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her latest deal involves bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual commitment to athletics and college student development.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Believed Annual Salary: $1.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer hasn't been one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her place among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Shifting Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing acceptance and money viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket product sales are escalating, and corporate sponsors are becoming more invested in women's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and results these coaches provide to their applications and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Although these five coaches now direct the best way when it comes to earnings, a number of others are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has built major strides with their respective plans and will split into the major five in the approaching a long time as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Feelings
The times of underfunded Girls’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command higher salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to expand in popularity and assist, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Girls’s college basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the tempo for the future of aggressive sporting activities.