five Greatest-Paid Females's College Basketball Coaches
five Greatest-Paid Females's College Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s higher education basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the greater level of popularity and business results with the sport, particularly 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 continue on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with building powerhouse courses.
Below’s a consider the 5 optimum-paid women’s college or university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their remarkable salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to be the gold typical in Ladies’s college basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Remaining Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she made headlines by signing a historic 7-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, earning her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Girls's higher education basketball history. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual 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 the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball background—Adult men's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant efficiency have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present-day deal features a foundation wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has faced modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.seven million
Just after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, wherever she received 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her second time While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival arrived which has a beneficial 8-calendar year, $23.six million contract, earning her considered one of the very best-paid Gals’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that taking up in 2002. With numerous meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide contention for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period effect and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and scholar improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one of the very best-paid out coaches but will also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, M88 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 appearances.
When VanDerveer hasn't been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her put Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of such 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 Girls's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their courses as well as sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches presently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has designed important strides with their respective applications and will break in the leading 5 in the coming a long time as women's basketball carries on to grow.
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 Gals’s basketball to new heights. As the sport proceeds to develop in attractiveness and help, we can easily anticipate these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue climbing.
Women of all ages’s higher education basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.