five Optimum-Compensated Women's University Basketball Coaches
five Optimum-Compensated Women's University Basketball Coaches
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Females’s higher education basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Along with the amplified popularity and commercial success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these top-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest of their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, a handful of standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that come with setting up powerhouse systems.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid 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 Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley carries on to get the gold normal in women’s faculty basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since 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-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in school basketball historical past—Adult men's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured valuable deal renewals. His current contract includes a base salary, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has faced recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Soon after An effective two-ten years run at Baylor, the place she gained 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her second year While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came with a lucrative eight-yr, $23.6 million deal, generating her among the highest-compensated Females’s coaches ever. Recognized for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Women of all ages's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of M88 Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since 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 contention for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period effect and development of top rated-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her recent offer consists of bonuses for tutorial overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student improvement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $1.three 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 win file and has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has not been a person to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Among the many all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and money viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting more countrywide Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are expanding, and company sponsors have gotten 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 good results these coaches carry to their courses plus the sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches presently guide how regarding earnings, numerous others are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has built important strides with their respective applications and will break into your prime 5 in the coming years as Gals's basketball continues to improve.
Last Views
The days of underfunded Gals’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command large salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. As being the sport carries on to improve 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 rate for the way forward for aggressive sports.