5 Highest-Compensated Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Compensated Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s college or university basketball has noticed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the improved acceptance and business accomplishment on the sport, particularly in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these leading-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that come with developing powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’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
Approximated Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to be the gold typical in Females’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to many NCAA Last 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in women's higher education basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, placing her firmly at the highest of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Income: $two.9 million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled This system into One of the more dominant dynasties in school basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and regular general performance have ensured profitable contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has confronted new worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management retain his benefit superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Estimated Annual Salary: $two.seven million
Soon after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, the place she gained a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next time With all the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came with a lucrative eight-yr, $23.6 million deal, generating her one among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, 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 developed a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in M88 nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period effect and improvement of top rated-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her latest deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and pupil progress.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply one of the highest-paid out coaches but will also the winningest coach in NCAA Females's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get file and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Last Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer has not been a person to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Shifting Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the increasing attractiveness and financial viability of women’s school basketball. Plans are attracting far more nationwide Tv set discounts, ticket profits are escalating, and corporate sponsors are becoming much more invested in Females's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of development—it’s a recognition of your effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their plans as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these 5 coaches at present lead the way in terms of earnings, several Many others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of these coaches has made major strides with their respective packages and could crack to the leading 5 in the coming decades as Gals's basketball continues to mature.
Ultimate Views
The days of underfunded women’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to expand in popularity and assist, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Females’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive athletics.