5 Highest-Paid Ladies's College or university Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Ladies's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s higher education basketball has found exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Together with the amplified attractiveness and professional achievements of your Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these top-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that come with setting up powerhouse systems.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Women of all ages’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to be the gold typical in Females’s college basketball coaching. A former 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 produced headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college or university basketball historical past. That offer has since been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. 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 commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball background—Gentlemen's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His current deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted the latest challenges with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management continue to keep his benefit superior.
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 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came having a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million contract, generating her among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $one.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of consistency at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With many conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her prolonged-term impression and growth of leading-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her current deal features bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and student advancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Yearly Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just certainly one of the very best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Women of all ages's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has not been one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, improvement of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The expanding salaries of such coaches are reflective of the developing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s school basketball. Plans are attracting far more nationwide Television bargains, ticket product sales are rising, and corporate sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and success these coaches convey for their systems plus the sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these 5 coaches at the moment lead the way in terms of earnings, quite a few Some others are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of these coaches has built considerable strides with their respective applications and will split into the major five in the M88 approaching several years as Females's basketball proceeds to improve.
Last Views
The days of underfunded Women of all ages’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity continues to increase in recognition and guidance, we are able to hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of such leaders—to continue climbing.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s placing the rate for the future of competitive athletics.