Females’s college or university basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past 10 years. With the improved acceptance and business accomplishment with the sport, particularly in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these major-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
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 – College of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley carries on to become 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. Considering that taking over the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to various NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic 7-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the best-paid Black head mentor in women's higher education basketball history. That deal has due to the fact 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 Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national 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’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured valuable contract renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel offers, 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 Annual Salary: $two.seven million
Immediately after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period With all the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new stage of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-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
Approximated Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since M88 taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her long-expression impact and progress of best-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her current deal features bonuses for academic general performance, wins, and postseason good results—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and pupil progress.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Yearly Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst 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 earn history and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 appearances.
When VanDerveer hasn't been one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Shifting Landscape in Women's Basketball
The expanding salaries of such coaches are reflective in the increasing attractiveness and financial viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting much more national Television set deals, ticket gross sales are expanding, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in Girls's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and good results these coaches deliver for their plans and also the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches at this time lead the best way in terms of earnings, quite a few Other people are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of such coaches has designed considerable strides with their respective programs and will break in the major 5 in the approaching many years as Girls's basketball carries on to develop.
Closing 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, condition the culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to increase in attractiveness and aid, we can expect these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to carry on growing.
Women’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the rate for the future of competitive sports activities.