5 Best-Compensated Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Gals’s college basketball has viewed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the amplified popularity and commercial achievement on the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these best-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Right here’s a look at the 5 greatest-paid Gals’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their remarkable salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated 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 Ultimate 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million deal, generating her the best-paid Black head coach in Women of all ages's higher education basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $2.9 million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled This system into one of the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—men's or Females’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured worthwhile agreement renewals. His latest deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has confronted recent problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million
Right after An effective two-decade run at Baylor, where by she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second time with the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived by using a worthwhile 8-calendar year, $23.6 million deal, earning her one among the highest-compensated Gals’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 constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since 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 rivalry for over 20 years.
Her lengthy-expression influence M88 and enhancement of best-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present deal features bonuses for academic general performance, wins, and postseason good results—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and pupil enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Yearly Income: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-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 report and it has led Stanford to 3 national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last 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, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Among the many all-time greats in coaching record.
A Changing Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The escalating salaries of these coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Television set promotions, ticket profits are raising, and company sponsors have become a lot more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition of your exertions, leadership, and good results these coaches bring for their systems along with the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches now direct the way in which 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 manufactured substantial strides with their respective courses and could crack to the top 5 in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball carries on to develop.
Closing Thoughts
The times of underfunded women’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. As the sport carries on to grow in acceptance and support, we will count on these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to continue soaring.
Females’s college or university basketball isn’t just maintaining speed—it’s location the rate for the future of competitive sports.