Gals’s higher education basketball has seen exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the amplified attractiveness and professional success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches deliver for their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with constructing powerhouse plans.
Right here’s a look at the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Salary: $three.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold conventional 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 various 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, generating her the best-paid Black head mentor in Women of all ages'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 – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His latest deal features a foundation wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. When UConn has confronted new worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management retain his price significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.seven million
Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won 3 countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball entire world by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next time While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived which has a valuable 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her one of the best-paid out Ladies’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide contention for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period affect and development of top rated-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. 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 University
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just considered one of the best-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA Women of all M88 ages's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire history and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 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 determination to excellence have solidified her place among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of such coaches are reflective of your growing recognition and monetary viability of women’s school basketball. Plans are attracting a lot more national TV offers, ticket revenue are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and achievements these coaches convey for their plans and also the Activity in general.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at this time direct the way in terms of earnings, quite a few Some others are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every of such coaches has created substantial strides with their respective courses and could crack to the top 5 in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Females’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 popularity and assist, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Ladies’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.