Ladies’s university basketball has viewed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. With all the enhanced level of popularity and business results with the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, a handful of standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that come with 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 amazing salaries but additionally 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 for being the gold standard in Gals’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking over the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic 7-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the best-paid Black head mentor in Ladies's university basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Wage: $two.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in college or university basketball historical past—Adult males's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Though UConn has faced recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his worth significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.seven million
Immediately after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived by using a worthwhile 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, earning her considered one of the very best-paid Women of all ages’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Once-a-year Wage: $one.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of consistency at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With several meeting championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than two decades.
Her extensive-phrase effects and growth of leading-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her current deal features 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 simply one of the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain 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 Shifting Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective of the expanding reputation and fiscal viability of ladies’s faculty basketball. Plans are attracting additional nationwide Tv set bargains, ticket income are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming much more invested in women's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, leadership, and achievement these coaches bring for their packages as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches now direct the way in which when it comes to earnings, several Many others are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every of such coaches has manufactured substantial strides with their M88 respective courses and could crack to the leading 5 in the coming several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to develop.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the culture of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to develop in attractiveness and help, we can easily assume these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Females’s college or university basketball isn’t just maintaining speed—it’s placing the rate for the future of competitive sports activities.