Females’s university basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Along with the increased recognition and commercial achievement from the sport, especially in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and leadership these best-tier coaches carry to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate in their Ladies’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that come with setting up powerhouse programs.
Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Approximated Annual Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds to get the gold regular in Women of all ages’s faculty basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up This system 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, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Gals's university basketball record. That deal has considering that been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $2.9 million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a 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 regular general performance have ensured profitable contract renewals. His recent agreement features a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has confronted new worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won three countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball earth by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her second season with the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived that has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million agreement, making her amongst the very best-paid out Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies'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 over in 2002. With various convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens M88 of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over 20 years.
Her lengthy-expression influence and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her present offer consists of bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student advancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the 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.
Even though VanDerveer hasn't been one 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 put among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of such coaches are reflective of your growing recognition and monetary viability of women’s university basketball. Packages are attracting additional nationwide Tv set discounts, ticket income are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming more invested in women's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition of your exertions, leadership, and good results these coaches deliver for their systems plus the sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches presently guide how regarding earnings, numerous Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of those coaches has made major strides with their respective systems and could split in to the top five in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball carries on to improve.
Ultimate Thoughts
The days of underfunded Women of all ages’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command substantial salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the lifestyle of their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport carries on to mature in acceptance and support, we will hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of these leaders—to carry on mounting.
Girls’s college basketball isn’t just trying to keep speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive athletics.