Females’s higher education basketball has found exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past 10 years. Together with the amplified popularity and commercial achievement in the sport, especially in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities go on to speculate inside their Females’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that include creating powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not only their spectacular salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
1. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold typical in Females’s college 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 many NCAA Last 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head mentor in women's faculty basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Income: $two.9 million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled the program into One of the more dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—men's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His latest deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has faced latest issues with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his worth significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.7 million
Immediately after An effective two-decade operate at Baylor, the place she won three countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball earth by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her 2nd period Using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a brand new stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived using a valuable eight-12 months, $23.6 million contract, earning her among the very best-paid out Girls’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly created a model of regularity at Maryland considering that taking over in 2002. With various convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese M88 has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her extended-term affect and improvement of major-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic general performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and university student advancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA Women of all ages's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire history and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly 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 from the developing level of popularity and money viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting more national Television set deals, ticket sales are increasing, and company sponsors are getting to be additional invested in Females's sports.
The rise in coaching salaries is not simply an indication of development—it’s a recognition in the labor, leadership, and success these coaches convey for their packages along with the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently guide how regarding earnings, numerous Other individuals are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each individual of those coaches has produced sizeable strides with their respective systems and could split in the prime five in the approaching a long time as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Final Feelings
The days of underfunded Girls’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command substantial salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport proceeds to develop in attractiveness and help, we can easily count on these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to carry on soaring.
Females’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive athletics.