five Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
five Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Gals’s higher education basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last decade. With all the amplified attractiveness and professional success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these top-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest in their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that include setting up powerhouse systems.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Women of all ages’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $three.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold conventional in Girls’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 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 best-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college or university basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $2.9 million
A living 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 Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball historical past—Adult men's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured valuable deal renewals. His current contract includes a base income, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management keep his benefit high.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $two.seven million
Immediately after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next season Using the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived which has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her one of the best-paid out Ladies’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Yearly Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a model of regularity at Maryland considering that taking over in 2002. With many conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national competition for more than 20 years.
Her extensive-phrase impact and progress 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 pupil progress.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Yearly Income: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not just considered one of the highest-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 numerous Ultimate Four appearances.
When VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Shifting Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The expanding salaries of such coaches are reflective of the expanding reputation and economic viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Applications are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket sales are increasing, and company sponsors are getting to be additional invested in Gals's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of progress—it’s a recognition in the hard work, Management, M88 and results these coaches provide to their applications and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at the moment lead just how with regard to earnings, many Other individuals are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of those coaches has made major strides with their respective plans and will split into the top rated five in the approaching years as Gals's basketball continues to mature.
Ultimate Views
The days 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 Females’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport continues to grow in reputation and assistance, we could anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of such leaders—to continue climbing.
Women of all ages’s university basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sporting activities.