Girls’s university basketball has found exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the increased reputation and industrial good results with the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these major-tier coaches provide for their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the economic benefits that include creating powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the 5 highest-paid women’s school basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not only their impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds to get the gold regular in Women of all ages’s higher education basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has designed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Considering the fact that taking up 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 created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, creating her the best-compensated Black head coach in Women of all ages's university basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with general performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured worthwhile deal renewals. His current contract includes a foundation income, media obligations, apparel discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. Even though UConn has confronted new worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management retain his benefit superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out University (LSU)
Approximated Annual Salary: $two.seven million
Just after A prosperous two-ten years operate at Baylor, wherever she gained 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball world by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd season Using the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new stage of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived by using a rewarding 8-calendar year, $23.six million contract, making her amongst the best-paid out Ladies’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Women of all ages's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a model of regularity at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her prolonged-term affect and improvement of major-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her latest deal involves bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason good results—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and college student enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn M88 record and has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, enhancement 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 money viability of girls’s faculty basketball. Courses are attracting more countrywide Television set specials, ticket profits are raising, and company sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not merely a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their applications and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at this time direct the way concerning earnings, various Other folks are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every of such coaches has manufactured substantial strides with their respective courses and could crack to the top 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball continues to improve.
Last Ideas
The times 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 society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport carries on to grow in acceptance and assistance, we could anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of such leaders—to continue climbing.
Women of all ages’s university basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.