5 Highest-Paid Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Ladies's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s higher education basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. With the elevated reputation and commercial good results on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Females’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that come with creating powerhouse programs.
In this article’s a consider 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 Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold conventional in Gals’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 best 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 into a jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured profitable contract renewals. His recent agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Whilst UConn has faced current difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management keep his benefit high.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Annual Income: $two.7 million
Soon after An effective two-decade operate at Baylor, where by she received 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her second season While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came having a lucrative 8-calendar year, $23.six million deal, creating her one among the highest-paid out Gals’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of consistency at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With numerous meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in nationwide contention for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period effect M88 and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present deal includes bonuses for educational general performance, wins, and postseason good results—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and pupil progress.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just one among the best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Gals's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win file and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Remaining 4 appearances.
Whilst VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, progress of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her place among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of those coaches are reflective with the rising attractiveness and financial viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming far more invested in Females's sporting activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not only an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and success these coaches convey to their plans and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at the moment lead just how with regard to earnings, many 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 major strides with their respective plans and will break into your best 5 in the coming yrs as Females's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Ideas
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. Because the Activity continues to grow in recognition and assistance, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the tempo for the way forward for aggressive athletics.