Girls’s university basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last ten years. With all the greater level of popularity and professional results with the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these prime-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities go on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with building powerhouse courses.
Below’s a consider the five optimum-paid out women’s college or university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their remarkable salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $three.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to get the gold regular in women’s faculty basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Considering the fact that taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to numerous NCAA Closing Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, building her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's faculty basketball history. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Income: $two.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked This system into Just about the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball record—Males's or Females’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His existing agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Although UConn has faced modern troubles with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management hold his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Approximated Annual Salary: $two.seven million
Just after a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where she won three nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next period With all the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a fresh stage of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival came having a lucrative 8-year, $23.six million contract, making her amongst the very best-paid out women’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a product of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period effect and development of top rated-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her current offer consists of bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just certainly one of the very best-paid out coaches but will also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy M88 contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her put Among the many all-time greats in coaching background.
A Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the expanding acceptance and fiscal viability of ladies’s higher education basketball. Packages are attracting additional nationwide Television bargains, ticket product sales are escalating, and corporate sponsors are becoming more invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and achievements these coaches convey to their applications and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at the moment lead just how with regard to earnings, many Other individuals are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of those coaches has manufactured significant strides with their respective packages and could split in to the major five in the approaching many years as Women of all ages's basketball carries on to grow.
Ultimate Thoughts
The days of underfunded Women of all ages’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command substantial salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, form the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport carries on to mature in attractiveness and guidance, we can easily count on these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Ladies’s higher education basketball isn’t just maintaining pace—it’s setting the tempo for the future of competitive sports activities.