Women of all ages’s college basketball has seen exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the elevated acceptance and professional achievements of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities carry on to speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the economical benefits that include creating powerhouse plans.
Below’s a consider the five highest-compensated Gals’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their outstanding salaries but in addition the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds being the gold normal in Ladies’s college basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Considering that taking over This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Remaining Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million contract, earning her the highest-paid out Black head coach in Women of all ages's school basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with general performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the top of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Annual Wage: $two.nine million
A living 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 Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball background—Gentlemen's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady general performance have ensured profitable agreement renewals. His recent deal features a foundation income, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Even though UConn has confronted new challenges with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management maintain his value large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.seven million
Just after A prosperous two-ten years operate at Baylor, wherever she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next time While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived by using a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million deal, producing her considered one of the 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 Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of regularity at Maryland due to the fact taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.
Her prolonged-term impression and advancement of M88 top-tier talent have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her current deal features bonuses for educational performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and scholar improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $1.three million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just among the very best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Women of all ages's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire report and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, progress of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her place among the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Shifting Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The increasing salaries of such coaches are reflective in the increasing popularity and monetary viability of women’s university basketball. Packages are attracting additional countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are expanding, and company sponsors are getting to be additional invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and results these coaches provide to their plans as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches at present lead just how concerning earnings, various Some others are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of these coaches has designed important strides with their respective plans and will split into the major five in the approaching several years as Females's basketball proceeds to improve.
Last Views
The days of underfunded women’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport carries on to develop in level of popularity and help, we can easily assume these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to carry on increasing.
Girls’s college basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports activities.