five Highest-Compensated Ladies's University Basketball Coaches
five Highest-Compensated Ladies's University Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s university basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the elevated acceptance and business achievements of the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and Management these top-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Females’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the economic rewards that include setting up powerhouse systems.
Below’s a consider the five best-paid out Females’s school basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not only their spectacular salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold typical in Gals’s faculty basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Last 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic 7-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's faculty basketball background. That offer has since been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Annual Wage: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into One of the more dominant dynasties in school basketball historical past—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and regular general performance have ensured profitable agreement renewals. His recent deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Whilst UConn has faced current issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership keep his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Estimated Once-a-year Income: $two.seven million
Immediately after An effective two-10 years run at M88 Baylor, in which she won three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball earth by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her second season Using the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived that has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million agreement, producing her certainly one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly created a model of regularity at Maryland given that 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 extended-time period effect and development of top rated-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her latest deal involves bonuses for academic functionality, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and pupil enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just certainly one of the very best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get report and it has led Stanford to 3 national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college basketball. Applications are attracting a lot more national TV offers, ticket product sales are escalating, and corporate sponsors are becoming much more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not merely a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and results these coaches carry to their applications and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at this time direct the way in which in terms of earnings, quite a few Some others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of such coaches has designed important strides with their respective applications and will break into your prime five in the approaching many years as Women of all ages's basketball carries on to grow.
Closing Thoughts
The times of underfunded Ladies’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. As being the sport carries on to mature in acceptance and support, we could expect these salaries—along with the profiles of such leaders—to continue climbing.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping rate—it’s setting the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sports.