five Optimum-Compensated Women of all ages's University Basketball Coaches
five Optimum-Compensated Women of all ages's University Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the increased recognition and commercial achievement from the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these prime-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities go on to speculate inside their Females’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that come with creating powerhouse applications.
In this article’s a think about the five highest-compensated 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 Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to be the gold typical in Females’s college basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking up the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Final Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and extended with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual 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 One of the more 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 present-day deal features a foundation income, media obligations, apparel specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. While UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his worth significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.7 million
Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period With all the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived that has a worthwhile 8-year, $23.six million contract, making her amongst the very best-paid Women of all ages’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a design of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in nationwide competition for over 20 years.
Her long-expression influence and enhancement of best-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present deal includes bonuses for educational performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and scholar development.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply one of the highest-paid out M88 coaches but will also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get report and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last 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, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Amongst the all-time greats in coaching record.
A Changing Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective on the increasing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting much more national Television specials, ticket product sales are increasing, and corporate sponsors are becoming much more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition of your exertions, leadership, and achievement these coaches bring for their packages along with the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches currently lead the way in which with regard to earnings, several Other individuals are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each of these coaches has designed significant strides with their respective applications and could split in to the major five in the approaching a long time as women's basketball carries on to develop.
Closing Thoughts
The times of underfunded women’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the sport proceeds to develop in level of popularity and assistance, we could anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of such leaders—to continue mounting.
Women of all ages’s college basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s setting the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sporting activities.