five Highest-Compensated Ladies's Faculty Basketball Coaches
five Highest-Compensated Ladies's Faculty Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Ladies’s higher education basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Using the enhanced level of popularity and professional achievements of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the value and leadership these leading-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities keep on to invest of their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the economic rewards that come with making powerhouse programs.
Here’s a think about the five greatest-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their extraordinary 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 proceeds for being the gold regular in Women of all ages’s higher education basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has designed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Considering the fact that taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Remaining Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Women of all ages's university basketball history. That offer has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with overall performance incentives, inserting 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 your jaw-dropping eleven nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and consistent efficiency have ensured worthwhile deal renewals. His present-day deal features a foundation income, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. Whilst UConn has faced latest issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth superior.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Salary: $two.seven million
After a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where by she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next year Along with the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived by using a worthwhile 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her certainly one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's M88 hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Salary: $one.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a model of regularity at Maryland considering that taking over in 2002. With various convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide contention for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period affect and improvement of major-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason good results—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and college student enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just 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 report and it has led Stanford to 3 national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, development of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her spot One of the all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing acceptance and money viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting more countrywide Television set deals, ticket sales are increasing, and company sponsors have gotten additional invested in Gals's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and achievements these coaches convey for their plans as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches currently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has built major strides with their respective plans and will split into the top rated five in the approaching many years as Women of all ages's basketball carries on to grow.
Closing Thoughts
The times of underfunded women’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely 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 continues to increase in popularity and guidance, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to carry on soaring.
Females’s college or university basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the rate for the future of competitive sports activities.