five Optimum-Paid Women's College Basketball Coaches
five Optimum-Paid Women's College Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Females’s faculty basketball has seen exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the enhanced level of popularity and professional achievements of the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I packages, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these top-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest in their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, a handful of standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that come with building powerhouse courses.
Below’s a consider the five best-paid out Ladies’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their outstanding salaries but in addition the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Approximated 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 crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Final 4 appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.four million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Women of all ages's university basketball record. That deal has considering that been restructured and prolonged with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly 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 transformed the program into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Gentlemen's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and consistent functionality have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His current contract includes a base salary, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Even though UConn has faced latest issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his price substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Estimated Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Right after An effective two-decade run at Baylor, in which she gained 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd year Along with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a M88 fresh level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived which has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her considered one of 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 Females's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a product of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With numerous meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.
Her very long-term impression and advancement of top-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal features bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason good results—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and pupil progress.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her location One of the 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 money viability of ladies’s faculty basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide Television set specials, ticket profits are raising, and company sponsors have gotten a lot more invested in Females's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition of the hard work, Management, and results these coaches carry to their programs and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at the moment lead just how with regard to earnings, many Other folks are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each of those coaches has produced significant strides with their respective systems and could split in to the major five in the approaching a long time as women'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, form the culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to develop in attractiveness and help, we can easily anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of these leaders—to continue climbing.
Women of all ages’s university basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sports.