5 Highest-Compensated Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches

Girls’s university basketball has viewed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the greater attractiveness and professional achievements of your Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I packages, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these major-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.

Right here’s a look at the 5 greatest-paid Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their outstanding salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.

one. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Annual Income: $3.one million

Dawn Staley carries on for being the gold regular in Women of all ages’s faculty basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has designed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking on This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to numerous NCAA Closing 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, earning her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Girls's school basketball historical past. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the listing.

2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Income: $two.nine million

A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in college or university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and regular general performance have ensured profitable agreement renewals. His recent agreement features a foundation wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. Whilst UConn has faced modern worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management maintain his value large.

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, exactly where she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball entire world by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next year Along with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.

Her substantial-profile arrival came with a lucrative eight-yr, $23.6 million deal, generating her among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.

four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Income: $1.four million

Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With numerous meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.

Her prolonged-term impression and improvement of major-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her latest deal involves bonuses for tutorial functionality, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.

five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly 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 get file and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last Four appearances.

Even though VanDerveer has not been a person to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her M88 area Among the many all-time greats in coaching heritage.

A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The rising salaries of those coaches are reflective on the rising attractiveness and financial viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting much more national Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are expanding, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in Females's sports activities.

The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and good results these coaches carry to their courses plus the sport in general.

Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently guide how with regards to earnings, a number of others are going up:

Kelly Graves (Oregon)

Vic Schaefer (Texas)

Jeff Walz (Louisville)

Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)

Each and every of these coaches has designed considerable strides with their respective programs and will break in the leading 5 in the coming several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.

Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command superior salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture 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 those leaders—to carry on increasing.

Girls’s college basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive sports activities.