Females’s higher education basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the greater attractiveness and professional success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the value and leadership these leading-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with developing powerhouse programs.
Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’s university 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
Believed Yearly Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold normal in Women of all ages’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Considering that taking over the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to various NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-yr, $22.four million contract, building her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's faculty basketball background. That offer has since been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has transformed This system into One of the more dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—men's or Females’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His recent agreement features a foundation wage, media obligations, clothing specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership keep his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Wage: $2.seven million
After A prosperous two-ten years operate at Baylor, the place she gained three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her second season Using the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived using a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her one among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a design of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that 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 rivalry for more than two decades.
Her extended-time period affect and development of top rated-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her existing offer contains bonuses for tutorial overall performance, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual M88 dedication to athletics and university student advancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only among the very best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get file and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has not been a person to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, development of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the expanding acceptance and fiscal viability of ladies’s higher education basketball. Systems are attracting additional countrywide Tv set discounts, ticket income are rising, and corporate sponsors have become much more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of your effort, Management, and good results these coaches deliver to their programs as well as Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at present lead just how with regard to earnings, many Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of those coaches has produced significant strides with their respective plans and will split into the top rated five in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Females’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the lifestyle of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport continues to grow in reputation and guidance, we are able to anticipate these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to continue soaring.
Ladies’s college or university basketball isn’t just maintaining speed—it’s placing the rate for the future of competitive sports activities.