five Highest-Paid Females's College Basketball Coaches
five Highest-Paid Females's College Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Gals’s university basketball has viewed exponential growth in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the amplified recognition and commercial achievement in the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these best-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with constructing powerhouse packages.
Right here’s a look at the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to be the gold typical in Females’s college basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Final Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Gals'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
Approximated Yearly Salary: $2.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to a jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball record—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured worthwhile agreement renewals. His latest deal features a foundation wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Even though UConn has confronted new troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management hold his price significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Right after An effective two-ten years run at Baylor, in which she won three countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball earth by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second time While using the Tigers, M88 she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival came with a valuable eight-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 Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a design of regularity at Maryland considering that taking up in 2002. With many meeting championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national rivalry for over 20 years.
Her lengthy-time period effect and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for educational performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and scholar development.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Once-a-year Income: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just amongst the highest-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record 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 properly compensated. Her Management, advancement of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Altering Landscape in Females's Basketball
The rising salaries of those coaches are reflective on the rising popularity and financial viability of girls’s college basketball. Applications are attracting additional countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are raising, and corporate sponsors have become much more invested in Ladies's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, Management, and achievements these coaches convey to their systems along with the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches now direct the way in which when it comes to earnings, several Many others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of such coaches has manufactured substantial strides with their respective programs and could crack to the leading 5 in the coming yrs 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 large salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition of their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. As being the sport carries on to mature in acceptance and support, we will hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of such leaders—to continue soaring.
Women of all ages’s higher education basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s placing the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.