Women’s college basketball has witnessed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last decade. With all the enhanced reputation and business results of your Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the value and Management these major-tier coaches provide to their groups and universities. As universities continue to invest within their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the fiscal benefits that include constructing powerhouse systems.
Right here’s a consider the 5 optimum-paid Women of all ages’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their remarkable salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Believed Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to be the gold typical in Females’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to various NCAA Closing Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, creating her the best-compensated Black head coach in Gals's university basketball record. That deal has because been restructured and prolonged with efficiency incentives, placing her firmly at the best of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball heritage—Gentlemen's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured lucrative agreement renewals. His recent deal features a base wage, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has confronted modern issues with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his price superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Approximated Annual Salary: $2.7 million
Immediately after A prosperous two-decade operate at Baylor, where by she received 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her second season with the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival came having a lucrative eight-yr, $23.6 million deal, making her one among the highest-compensated Females’s coaches at any time. Noted for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Income: $1.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 stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.
Her prolonged-term impression and advancement of major-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her latest deal involves bonuses for academic functionality, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and college student improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just certainly one of the very best-paid out coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Females's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Remaining 4 appearances.
Whilst 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 Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective of the developing acceptance and fiscal viability of ladies’s faculty basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are raising, and company sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not merely a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of your effort, leadership, and good results these coaches deliver for their systems plus the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of these coaches has designed significant M88 strides with their respective applications and will split in the major 5 in the approaching years as Females's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Thoughts
The days of underfunded Girls’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command large salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity carries on to mature in level of popularity and assistance, we can hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of such leaders—to carry on growing.
Gals’s school basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the pace for the future of competitive athletics.