five Best-Compensated Women of all ages's Higher education Basketball Coaches
five Best-Compensated Women of all ages's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s college basketball has witnessed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. With all the greater attractiveness and professional achievements of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these leading-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Females’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that come with creating powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the 5 greatest-paid Women of all ages’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
Approximated Once-a-year Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds to get the gold common in Ladies’s college basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking on 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 7-yr, $22.4 million agreement, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Women of all ages's university basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Income: $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 began in 1985, has transformed This system into One of the more dominant dynasties in university basketball record—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured worthwhile contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Although UConn has faced latest issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million
Right after a successful two-ten years operate at Baylor, wherever she gained three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her second time While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival came with a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her considered one of the very best-paid Gals’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Income: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a product of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With several convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of M88 NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for more than 20 years.
Her long-expression influence and progress of best-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her current deal features bonuses for educational general performance, wins, and postseason good results—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and college student enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Yearly Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Ultimate 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer hasn't been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Switching Landscape in Females's Basketball
The escalating salaries of these coaches are reflective in the rising level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Television set specials, ticket profits are raising, and company sponsors have become much more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and accomplishment these coaches provide to their programs as well as Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these 5 coaches at present guide how regarding earnings, a number of others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has designed considerable strides with their respective programs and will crack to the leading 5 in the coming several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to develop.
Remaining Ideas
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 Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport carries on to mature in acceptance and aid, we are able to be expecting these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Females’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.