five Maximum-Paid out Gals's School Basketball Coaches
five Maximum-Paid out Gals's School Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Gals’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the elevated reputation and industrial good results on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these major-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities go on to speculate in their women’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that include creating powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’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: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley continues to get the gold standard in Gals’s college or 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 This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Closing Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, building her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Gals's higher education basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest 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 remodeled This system into One of the more dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured worthwhile deal renewals. His current contract includes a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, 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 value high.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $2.seven million
Just after A prosperous two-ten years operate at Baylor, the place she gained three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next year With all the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new stage of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived using a rewarding eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building 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
Estimated Yearly Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a design of regularity at Maryland considering that taking over in 2002. With many convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in national rivalry for over 20 years.
Her long-expression influence and progress of leading-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present deal features bonuses for educational general performance, wins, and postseason good results—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and college student enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply one of the very best-paid out coaches but will also the winningest coach in NCAA Females's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat M88 Summitt’s all-time gain document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Remaining Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has never been just one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, growth 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 such coaches are reflective of your escalating recognition and monetary viability of women’s university basketball. Plans are attracting far more nationwide Television offers, ticket revenue are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Gals's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and achievements these coaches convey to their plans and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at this time direct the way concerning earnings, various 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 many years as Women of all ages's basketball carries on to grow.
Closing Thoughts
The days of underfunded Women of all ages’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport proceeds to develop in level of popularity and assistance, we could anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of such leaders—to continue climbing.
Women of all ages’s university basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.