5 Best-Compensated Women's Faculty Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Women's Faculty Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women’s college or university basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Along with the increased popularity and commercial achievement from the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and leadership these top-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities keep on to invest in their women’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the economic 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 remarkable salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley carries on for being the gold standard in Gals’s university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking over This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to numerous NCAA Closing Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she made headlines by signing a historic 7-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, earning her the very best-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college or university basketball historical past. That offer has since been restructured and extended with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual 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 started 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 lucrative contract renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. Even though UConn has confronted current worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his price substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Right after a successful two-decade run at Baylor, the place she gained a few national titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball earth by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second season Using the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival came with a valuable eight-yr, $23.six million agreement, 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 Yearly Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly created a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national competition for over 20 years.
Her long-expression influence and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer contains bonuses for tutorial functionality, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and pupil progress.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.3 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 gain document and has M88 led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Remaining 4 appearances.
Whilst VanDerveer has not been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, development of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her spot One of the all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Transforming Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing acceptance and money viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting more countrywide Television set specials, ticket gross sales are expanding, 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 from the labor, Management, and achievement these coaches provide to their programs and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at the moment direct the way in terms of earnings, quite a few Some others are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every of such coaches has created substantial strides with their respective courses and could crack to the top 5 in the approaching decades as Gals's basketball continues to mature.
Ultimate Views
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 Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to develop in attractiveness and help, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue climbing.
Women’s university basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s placing the rate for the way forward for aggressive sports.