5 Highest-Paid Ladies's College or university Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Ladies's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s higher education basketball has seen exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the improved acceptance and industrial accomplishment on the sport, particularly in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these leading-tier coaches bring for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest 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 Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds being the gold common in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since 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 agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Females's college basketball historical past. That offer has because 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 living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball background—Adult men's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured valuable contract renewals. His current contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management keep his benefit high.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.7 million
Soon after An effective two-decade run at Baylor, where she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball world by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd season Using the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came with a lucrative eight-yr, $23.six million agreement, creating her certainly one of the best-paid out women’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's M88 hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a model of consistency at Maryland because taking up in 2002. With several meeting championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.
Her prolonged-term impression and improvement of top rated-tier talent have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer includes bonuses for educational performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and pupil progress.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach 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 various Final Four appearances.
Whilst VanDerveer has not 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 expanding salaries of such coaches are reflective of the expanding attractiveness and economic viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting far more nationwide Television bargains, ticket income are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming more invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, Management, and achievements these coaches convey to their applications and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at this time direct the way concerning earnings, various Other folks are on the rise:
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 packages and could crack into your top rated 5 in the coming many years as Girls's basketball continues to mature.
Ultimate Views
The days of underfunded Gals’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command large salaries—In addition 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 mature in acceptance and aid, we will hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Girls’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive sports activities.