five Greatest-Paid Girls's College or university Basketball Coaches
five Greatest-Paid Girls's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women’s college basketball has observed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. With the elevated reputation and industrial results of your Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I systems, 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 speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the economic benefits that include creating powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the five best-paid out Ladies’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just 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 continues to become the gold conventional in Girls’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed 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 countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has since been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Income: $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 started in 1985, has reworked This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball heritage—men's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and regular general performance have ensured profitable contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. While UConn has faced recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management continue to keep his benefit superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.7 million
Right after An effective 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 just her second time While using the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived that has a beneficial 8-calendar year, $23.six million contract, earning her considered one of the very best-paid Gals’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a design of consistency at Maryland due to the fact taking over in 2002. With various convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in national rivalry for over 20 years.
Her long-phrase impact and growth of top-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal involves bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and scholar advancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Salary: $1.three million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just certainly one of the very best-compensated coaches but will also the winningest coach in NCAA Females's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain M88 record and has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has never been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Altering Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide Tv set specials, ticket income are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming much more invested in women's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and success these coaches convey to their applications and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at the moment lead just how with regard to earnings, numerous Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of these coaches has designed important strides with their respective applications and will break in the leading 5 in the coming yrs as Ladies's basketball proceeds to develop.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Gals’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command substantial salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. As being the sport continues to improve in recognition and guidance, we can assume these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sporting activities.