Ladies’s university basketball has seen exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past 10 years. Using the enhanced acceptance and business results with the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities keep on to invest in their women’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with developing powerhouse programs.
In this article’s a consider the five best-paid out Females’s school basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not only their outstanding salaries but in addition the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Final 4 appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Gals's school basketball heritage. That deal has given that been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Annual Wage: $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 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 discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. 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.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 globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived by using a worthwhile 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, earning her considered one of the very best-paid Females’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly created a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in national competition for more than 20 years.
Her extensive-phrase impact and growth of leading-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her current deal features bonuses for academic general performance, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student improvement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – M88 Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-paid coaches but also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Closing 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her area One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Modifying Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The growing salaries of those coaches are reflective of your rising popularity and monetary viability of ladies’s school basketball. Programs are attracting additional nationwide Tv set discounts, ticket income are raising, and corporate sponsors have become 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 effort, leadership, and good results these coaches deliver for their systems plus the sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches now direct the best way when it comes to earnings, several Many others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of such coaches has manufactured considerable strides with their respective programs and will break in the leading 5 in the coming yrs as Females's basketball proceeds to expand.
Closing Views
The times of underfunded Ladies’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to increase in popularity and assist, we can count on these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to continue soaring.
Ladies’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s placing the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.