Women’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness over the past 10 years. Using the improved popularity and commercial achievement from the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the value and leadership these top-tier coaches bring for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest of their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Final Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Gals's school basketball history. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and extended with effectiveness incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Annual Wage: $2.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to a jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into one of the most dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured valuable contract renewals. His current contract includes a base income, media obligations, clothing deals, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted the latest difficulties 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 Annual Salary: $two.seven million
Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, where she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd season with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival arrived that has a beneficial 8-yr, $23.6 million deal, generating her one among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $one.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than two decades.
Her very long-term impression and improvement of top rated-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her latest offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student advancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply among the very best-paid coaches but additionally the winningest mentor in NCAA Women of all ages's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire file and it has led Stanford to three countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Remaining Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer hasn't been one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, progress of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her place among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Shifting Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are M88 reflective of the expanding acceptance and fiscal viability of ladies’s faculty basketball. Systems are attracting additional countrywide Tv set discounts, ticket income are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming more invested in women's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the labor, leadership, and success these coaches convey for their plans and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at this time lead the way concerning earnings, various Other individuals are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each individual of those coaches has made sizeable strides with their respective packages and will split into the prime five in the coming years as Gals's basketball continues to improve.
Last Feelings
The days of underfunded Girls’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command higher salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. As being the Activity continues to increase in popularity and assist, we will anticipate these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping pace—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.