5 Highest-Paid Ladies's College or university Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Ladies's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Gals’s faculty basketball has seen exponential progress in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the enhanced acceptance and business results of your Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities go on to speculate inside their Girls’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-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed 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 right into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking up 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 manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.four million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Women of all ages's higher education basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, positioning her firmly at the very best of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Wage: $two.nine 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 Among the most dominant dynasties in school basketball historical past—Adult men's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Although UConn has faced modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management hold his price significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.seven million
Immediately after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next year Along with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival came with a valuable eight-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her certainly one of the best-paid out Ladies’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With several meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than 20 years.
Her extensive-expression influence and enhancement of best-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just one among the best-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA Women of all ages's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire history and has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse 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, development of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Amongst the all-time greats in coaching record.
A Altering Landscape in Females's Basketball
The rising salaries of such coaches are reflective with the escalating popularity and monetary viability of women’s school basketball. Applications are attracting a lot more national TV bargains, ticket product sales are rising, and company sponsors have become far more invested in Females's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the labor, leadership, and achievements these coaches convey for their plans as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Although these five coaches now direct the best way when it comes to earnings, several others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of these coaches has designed considerable strides with their respective applications and will break into your best 5 in the coming years as Gals's basketball continues to improve.
Last Views
The days of underfunded Gals’s plans and M88 underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command substantial salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport carries on to grow in level of popularity and assistance, we could anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just retaining rate—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.