Gals’s university basketball has viewed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the improved acceptance and business accomplishment on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, 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 take a position within their Females’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the monetary 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
Approximated Annual Wage: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues being the gold normal in women’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Considering the fact that taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Remaining Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and prolonged with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled This system into One of the more dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His present agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Although UConn has faced latest issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million
Following a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, the place she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the M88 basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period Using the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 national championship, bringing a fresh amount of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival arrived with a beneficial eight-yr, $23.six million agreement, producing her among the highest-compensated Females’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Women of all ages's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking over in 2002. With many convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her lengthy-time period effect and improvement of leading-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her latest offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and university student advancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just among the very best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Remaining 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, progress of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her place among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of those coaches are reflective with the escalating popularity and financial viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are raising, and company sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females'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 as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Although these 5 coaches at this time direct the way concerning earnings, various Other folks are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each individual of those coaches has produced sizeable strides with their respective packages and could split into the top rated five in the approaching years as Gals's basketball continues to improve.
Last Views
The days of underfunded Gals’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command higher salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, shape the tradition in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to expand in popularity and assist, we can easily count on these salaries—plus the profiles of these leaders—to carry on growing.
Ladies’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the rate for the way forward for competitive sports.