Gals’s higher education basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past ten years. Together with the greater attractiveness and professional success of the Activity, especially in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities carry on to speculate of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Girls’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold conventional in Girls’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking on the program 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, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Gals's university basketball record. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
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 One of the more dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable efficiency have ensured valuable deal renewals. His current contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has confronted current issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million
Right after An effective two-decade run at Baylor, where she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival came that has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million contract, creating her one of the best-paid out Ladies’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Women of all ages's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking on in 2002. With several meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than two decades.
Her very long-term effect and development of leading-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present offer includes bonuses for tutorial effectiveness, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just one among the best-paid coaches but additionally the winningest mentor 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.
Though VanDerveer hasn't been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and motivation 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 attractiveness and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are rising, and corporate sponsors have become much more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and success these coaches convey for their plans and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at the moment M88 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 these coaches has made major strides with their respective applications and will break in the best 5 in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball continues to develop.
Last Feelings
The days of underfunded Females’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command higher salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, shape the society in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. As being the sport continues to increase in recognition and guidance, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sporting activities.