5 Best-Compensated Women's Faculty Basketball Coaches

Women’s school basketball has witnessed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Along with the increased popularity and commercial success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these major-tier coaches provide for their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Females’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that include developing powerhouse programs.

In this article’s a consider the five best-paid out Ladies’s college 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 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 Final Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head mentor in Females's college or university basketball historical past. That offer has since been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the record.

2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Income: $two.nine million

A living 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 This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—Males's or Females’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and reliable efficiency have ensured profitable agreement renewals. His present-day deal includes a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has faced current problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.

3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million

Right after a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where by she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball world by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period Using the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a completely new amount of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.

Her superior-profile arrival arrived by using a rewarding 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, building her considered one of the very best-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.

four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Income: $1.four million

Brenda Frese has quietly created a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in national competition for more than two decades.

Her extensive-phrase effects and growth of top-tier talent have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and pupil progress.

five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.three million

Tara VanDerveer is not just considered one of the best-paid coaches M88 but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA Women of all ages's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire report and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last 4 appearances.

Though VanDerveer hasn't been one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, enhancement of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her spot One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.

A Transforming Landscape in Women's Basketball
The escalating salaries of such coaches are reflective of your escalating recognition and monetary viability of women’s university basketball. Plans are attracting a lot more national Television offers, ticket product sales are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming more invested in women's sporting activities.

The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, Management, and achievement these coaches deliver for their courses plus the sport in general.

Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches presently 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 built important strides with their respective applications and will break into your best 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball proceeds to increase.

Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Females’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity proceeds to expand in attractiveness and help, we can easily anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of these leaders—to continue climbing.

Women of all ages’s university basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s setting the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sporting activities.