five Greatest-Paid Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches
five Greatest-Paid Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Ladies’s university basketball has viewed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the amplified popularity and professional success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the value and leadership these leading-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities keep on to take a position in their women’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the economical benefits that come with developing powerhouse programs.
In this article’s a consider the five highest-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not only their spectacular salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Annual Wage: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college basketball coaching. A previous 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 a number of NCAA Last 4 appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $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 effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated 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 the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball background—Adult men's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured worthwhile deal renewals. His present-day deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing bargains, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. While UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
After a successful two-ten years operate at Baylor, wherever she gained 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only 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 significant-profile arrival came using a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building 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 M88 in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of consistency at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With several meeting championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.
Her very long-term influence and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and scholar improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Salary: $1.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only among the very best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win file and it has led Stanford to a few countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has not been a person 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. Courses are attracting more countrywide Television set promotions, ticket profits are expanding, and company sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches deliver to their courses as well as sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches presently guide how regarding earnings, numerous Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of these coaches has built major strides with their respective plans and will break in to the top five in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to develop.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to increase in recognition and guidance, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to carry on soaring.
Ladies’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the rate for the way forward for competitive sports activities.