5 Greatest-Paid Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
5 Greatest-Paid Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women’s college basketball has observed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the elevated recognition and industrial good results in the sport, specifically in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with building powerhouse courses.
In this article’s a consider the five optimum-paid out Ladies’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to 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. Because taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Final Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Females's college basketball historical past. That offer has since 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 residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled This system into one of the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and consistent overall performance have ensured valuable contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. While UConn has faced current issues with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his price significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Wage: $2.seven million
After a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where by she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival arrived using a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her one among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Annual Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a design of consistency at Maryland given that taking over in 2002. With many conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national competition for more than two decades.
Her extensive-phrase impact and growth of leading-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and student progress.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-paid coaches but additionally the winningest mentor in NCAA Gals's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get file and it has led Stanford to 3 national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer has not been a person to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Among the many all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing acceptance and fiscal viability of ladies’s higher education basketball. Packages are attracting additional nationwide Television bargains, ticket product sales are escalating, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Gals's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their courses plus the sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches currently guide the best way with regards to earnings, several Many others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every of such coaches has manufactured considerable strides with their respective programs and could crack to the leading 5 in the approaching several years as women's basketball carries on to develop.
Closing Thoughts
The times of underfunded Ladies’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport carries on to grow in acceptance and support, we will hope M88 these salaries—as well as the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Girls’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive sports activities.