5 Highest-Paid Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s university basketball has viewed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. With all the enhanced level of popularity and business results with the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I packages, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these major-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Women of all ages’s college or university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their remarkable salaries but additionally the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold standard in Women of all ages’s higher education basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking over This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to numerous NCAA Closing Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Women of all ages's university basketball record. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—Males's or Females’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His recent agreement features a foundation wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. When UConn has confronted the latest difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership keep his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
After a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where by she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived that has a worthwhile 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her certainly one of the best-paid out Ladies’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of consistency at Maryland due to the fact taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than 20 years.
Her long-expression influence and development of prime-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her recent offer involves bonuses for tutorial 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 not simply certainly one of the very best-paid out coaches but will also the winningest coach in NCAA Females's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has not been just one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, development of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her spot Among the many all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are expanding, M88 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 hard work, Management, and results these coaches carry to their programs and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at the moment lead the way concerning earnings, quite a few Some others are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every of such coaches has manufactured substantial strides with their respective programs and will break in the best 5 in the coming years as Girls's basketball continues to improve.
Last Views
The days of underfunded Women of all ages’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 Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity continues to improve in reputation and aid, we are able to hope these salaries—along with the profiles of such leaders—to continue climbing.
Women of all ages’s university basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s placing the rate for the future of competitive athletics.