five Optimum-Compensated Women of all ages's Higher education Basketball Coaches
five Optimum-Compensated Women of all ages's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. With the elevated reputation and industrial good results in the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the worth and Management these prime-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities go on to speculate within their Gals’s athletics departments, some 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 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 Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold standard in Gals’s higher education basketball coaching. A previous 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 multiple NCAA Closing 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, earning her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college or university basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, positioning her firmly at the very best of the record.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Income: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Guys's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured worthwhile agreement renewals. His latest deal features a foundation wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. Even though UConn has confronted modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management hold his price significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.seven million
Soon after An effective two-decade run at Baylor, where she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period Using the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival arrived using a profitable eight-12 months, $23.six million deal, building her one among the very best-paid out Girls’s coaches ever. Recognized for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Estimated Annual Income: $one.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a product of consistency at Maryland given that taking over in 2002. With many convention championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national competition for over 20 years.
Her lengthy-time period effect and development of top rated-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her latest deal involves bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her twin motivation to athletics and scholar growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Yearly Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one M88 of the very best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Gals's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire report and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last Four appearances.
When VanDerveer hasn't been one 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 history.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of such coaches are reflective with the escalating recognition and money viability of ladies’s university basketball. Plans are attracting more national TV deals, ticket sales are growing, and corporate sponsors have become 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 accomplishment these coaches carry to their programs and also the sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these five coaches currently direct the best way when it comes to earnings, quite a few Other folks are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of those coaches has created substantial strides with their respective packages and could crack in the best 5 in the coming years as Gals's basketball continues to improve.
Last Feelings
The days of underfunded Girls’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply 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 reputation and aid, we are able to be expecting these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Girls’s college basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive athletics.