Women of all ages’s college basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the greater attractiveness and professional achievements of your Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I packages, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these major-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities carry on to speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the economic rewards that include constructing powerhouse plans.
Right here’s a think about the five greatest-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking up the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Final Four appearances and two countrywide 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 Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and prolonged with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
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 One of the more dominant dynasties in school basketball historical past—Adult males's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured valuable contract renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. While UConn has faced recent problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Wage: $2.seven million
After A prosperous two-ten years run at Baylor, the place she gained three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second time with the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a fresh degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival came having a profitable 8-calendar year, $23.six million contract, creating her one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches ever. Noted for M88 her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Estimated Annual Income: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of regularity at Maryland due to the fact taking up in 2002. With numerous meeting championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide contention for over twenty years.
Her long-expression effect and development of top rated-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her current offer consists of bonuses for educational efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one of the very best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Ladies's basketball heritage. 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 one particular 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 area Amongst the all-time greats in coaching record.
A Altering Landscape in Females's Basketball
The raising salaries of such coaches are reflective of your growing reputation and fiscal viability of ladies’s higher education basketball. Systems are attracting extra countrywide Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are increasing, and company sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and results these coaches provide to their plans and also the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Although these five coaches currently guide how regarding earnings, numerous Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of those coaches has produced sizeable strides with their respective systems and could crack to the leading 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball continues to improve.
Ultimate Views
The days of underfunded women’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. As the sport continues to increase in reputation and help, we can easily hope these salaries—and the profiles of such leaders—to carry on soaring.
Women’s college basketball isn’t just maintaining pace—it’s setting the pace for the future of competitive sports.