Women of all ages’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 accomplishment of the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities continue to take a position inside their Gals’s athletics departments, a handful of standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that come with building powerhouse courses.
Below’s a consider the 5 optimum-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $three.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. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to many NCAA Last 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in women'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 Income: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has transformed the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball historical past—Adult men's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady functionality have ensured valuable deal renewals. His current contract includes a foundation salary, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has confronted recent problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his worth higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
Following a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, in which 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 that has a worthwhile 8-year, $23.six million agreement, producing her among the best-paid out Gals’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Once-a-year Wage: $1.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of consistency at Maryland given that taking over in 2002. With many convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her lengthy-time period effect and improvement of major-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic general performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and scholar improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Salary: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just one among the best-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain document and has led Stanford to a few countrywide 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, enhancement of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her spot Among the many all-time greats in coaching record.
A Changing Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The rising salaries of those coaches are reflective with the escalating recognition and economic viability of ladies’s higher education basketball. Systems are attracting extra countrywide Television set specials, ticket gross sales are expanding, and company sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition of your effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches provide to their plans and also the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently guide how with regard to earnings, many Other folks are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every of such coaches has designed major strides with their respective packages and could crack in to the top 5 in the coming yrs as Females's basketball proceeds to increase.
Last Views
The days of underfunded Gals’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command substantial salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. As being the sport proceeds to M88 expand in popularity and assist, we can be expecting these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on increasing.
Gals’s school basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.