Women of all ages’s higher education basketball has found exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last decade. Using the amplified popularity and commercial good results on the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these prime-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest in their women’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that include constructing powerhouse plans.
Right here’s a look at the 5 optimum-paid out Ladies’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their amazing salaries but additionally the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on for being the gold standard in Women of all ages’s faculty basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Closing Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.four million contract, building her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Ladies's college basketball heritage. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and extended with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the top of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Wage: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into One of the more dominant dynasties in higher education basketball history—Adult men's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and regular effectiveness have ensured rewarding contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a foundation wage, media obligations, clothing promotions, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event runs. While UConn has faced current problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his worth large.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
Following An effective two-decade run at Baylor, where she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball earth by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next year with the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a brand new degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came having a valuable eight-yr, $23.6 million contract, producing her one among the best-compensated women’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: M88 $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of regularity at Maryland given that taking over in 2002. With many 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 extensive-expression impact and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her present-day deal includes bonuses for tutorial functionality, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and college student enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not only considered one of the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Females's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win file and it has led Stanford to 3 national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been just one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Modifying Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The expanding salaries of such coaches are reflective from the expanding reputation and money viability of girls’s college basketball. Applications are attracting much more national TV offers, ticket product sales are rising, and corporate sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of development—it’s a recognition in the labor, leadership, and success these coaches bring for their systems plus the Activity in general.
Honorable Mentions
Although these five coaches currently guide the best way with regards to earnings, numerous Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each individual of those coaches has made sizeable strides with their respective systems and could crack to the leading 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball continues to mature.
Ultimate Views
The days of underfunded women’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, shape the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport carries on to grow in attractiveness and help, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to carry on soaring.
Girls’s college basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sports.