Gals’s higher education basketball has seen exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the greater recognition and business achievements of the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I packages, 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 speculate of their Gals’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include constructing powerhouse packages.
Right here’s a think about the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just 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 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. Because taking on the program 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, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's school basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and prolonged with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $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 university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured valuable contract renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel promotions, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. Although UConn has confronted the latest problems with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management hold his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Approximated Annual Wage: $2.7 million
Immediately after a successful two-ten years run at Baylor, wherever she received 3 countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball globe by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her 2nd season with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a brand new level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival came by using a worthwhile 8-yr, $23.6 million agreement, making her considered one of the very best-paid women’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a model of regularity at Maryland since taking on in 2002. With various conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her extended-phrase affect and advancement of best-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present deal M88 contains bonuses for tutorial performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and university student advancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely among the highest-paid coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Closing Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her Management, development of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her spot among the all-time greats in coaching record.
A Modifying Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The escalating salaries of such coaches are reflective of your increasing level of popularity and fiscal viability of women’s college basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Television offers, ticket revenue are expanding, and corporate sponsors are getting to be additional invested in Females's athletics.
The increase in coaching salaries is not just a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of your labor, leadership, and achievement these coaches convey for their programs along with the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches now lead the way concerning earnings, a number of Some others are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every of those coaches has designed significant strides with their respective applications and could crack in to the prime 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball proceeds to increase.
Remaining Views
The times of underfunded Women of all ages’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the culture of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to develop in attractiveness and help, we can easily anticipate these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.