5 Best-Compensated Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Females’s college basketball has witnessed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. With all the enhanced level of popularity and professional good results from the sport, especially in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities go on to take a position inside their Girls’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the economic rewards that include constructing powerhouse plans.
Right here’s a look at 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
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold standard in Gals’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking over This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Closing 4 appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, earning her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's faculty basketball background. That deal has since been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $two.9 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—Gentlemen's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and consistent efficiency have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present-day deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing promotions, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted the latest challenges with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management continue to keep his benefit high.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $2.seven million
After A prosperous two-ten years operate at Baylor, the place she gained 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, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came with a valuable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her considered one of the very best-compensated 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: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly created a design of consistency at Maryland since taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national competition for more than 20 years.
Her long-expression influence and enhancement of best-tier talent have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present offer includes bonuses for educational performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and college student development.
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 get file and it has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Last Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer has not been a person to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, advancement 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 those coaches are reflective on the rising attractiveness and financial viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket income are rising, and company sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their courses as well as sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these 5 coaches at present 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 M88 plans and could split into your prime 5 in the approaching a long time as women'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 superior salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity proceeds to expand in popularity and assist, we can assume these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Ladies’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s placing the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.