Gals’s university basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past ten years. Together with the greater attractiveness and professional success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these top-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities go on to speculate inside their Females’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that include creating powerhouse applications.
In this article’s a think about the five highest-compensated Females’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not only their spectacular salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since 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 created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Gals's university basketball record. That deal has considering that been restructured and prolonged with effectiveness incentives, inserting her firmly at the very best of the record.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping eleven 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—men's or Females’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable efficiency have ensured worthwhile deal renewals. His current agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Although UConn has faced latest issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his worth substantial.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.seven million
Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few 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 national championship, bringing a brand new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived having a rewarding 8-year, $23.six million deal, generating her one among the highest-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Noted 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 several meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in national competition for more than two decades.
Her extensive-expression influence and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her recent offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just considered one of the highest-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Ultimate 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has never been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her put 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 escalating popularity and monetary viability of women’s school basketball. Applications are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket sales are increasing, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in M88 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 accomplishment these coaches carry to their courses plus the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches presently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of these coaches has designed considerable strides with their respective programs and will break in the leading 5 in the coming several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to develop.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded women’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport carries on to mature in reputation and aid, we are able to be expecting these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on soaring.
Females’s college or university basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the rate for the way forward for competitive sports activities.