five Highest-Compensated Women of all ages's College Basketball Coaches
five Highest-Compensated Women of all ages's College Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Females’s university basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past ten years. While using the improved level of popularity and commercial achievement on the sport, particularly in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these leading-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities keep on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the monetary rewards that include setting up powerhouse systems.
Below’s a consider the five optimum-paid out Ladies’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their outstanding salaries but in addition the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Approximated 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. Because 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 Women of all ages's university basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and consistent efficiency have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present-day contract features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event runs. Whilst UConn has faced current problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Estimated 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 becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second time While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived by using a rewarding 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, earning her considered one of the very best-paid Women of all ages’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a design of consistency at Maryland due to the fact taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide contention for over twenty years.
Her prolonged-term affect 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 University
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Females's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Remaining Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has not been just one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Altering Landscape in Females's Basketball
The rising salaries of those coaches are reflective on the rising popularity and financial viability of women’s college basketball. Applications are attracting a lot more national TV offers, ticket revenue are growing, and company sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Women of all ages's athletics.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and results these coaches provide to their applications and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Although these five coaches now direct the way in which when it comes to earnings, several Many others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North M88 Carolina)
Each and every of these coaches has designed considerable strides with their respective applications and will break in the best 5 in the coming years as Gals's basketball continues to mature.
Ultimate Views
The days of underfunded Women of all ages’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the culture of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to expand in attractiveness and assist, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s placing the speed for the way forward for competitive sports activities.