5 Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s college or university basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past 10 years. Using the enhanced acceptance and business results with the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I packages, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these major-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include setting up powerhouse systems.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Women of all ages’s college or university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their remarkable salaries but additionally the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds being the gold normal in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Because 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 made headlines by signing a historic 7-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has considering that been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Believed Annual Wage: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which began 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 efficiency have ensured beneficial contract renewals. His existing agreement features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Even though UConn has confronted new worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership keep his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she gained three national titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball environment by signing up for 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 which has a valuable eight-yr, $23.six million agreement, producing her certainly one of the best-paid out Ladies’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant fashion, 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 built a product of consistency at Maryland considering M88 the fact that taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than 20 years.
Her long-expression influence and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her recent offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn 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 properly compensated. Her Management, development 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 escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective on the rising popularity and financial viability of women’s university basketball. Packages are attracting additional nationwide Tv set specials, ticket gross sales are increasing, and company sponsors are getting to be additional invested in Gals's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the exertions, leadership, and good results these coaches deliver to their systems plus the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently guide how with regards to earnings, a number of others are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has built major strides with their respective plans and will split into the top rated five in the approaching a long time as Women of all ages's basketball carries on to grow.
Closing Ideas
The times of underfunded Females’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command higher salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the tradition in their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport proceeds to expand in popularity and assist, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Girls’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining rate—it’s setting the tempo for the future of aggressive sporting activities.