Women of all ages’s higher education basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. With the improved acceptance and business achievements of the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and Management these top-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities continue on to speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include setting up powerhouse systems.
Below’s a consider the five best-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds being the gold normal in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to various NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she made headlines by signing a historic 7-year, $22.4 million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head mentor in Ladies's faculty basketball background. That offer has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the top of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Wage: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked This system into Just about the most dominant dynasties in college or university basketball background—Gentlemen's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady performance have ensured rewarding deal renewals. His present-day contract includes a base wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. While UConn has faced current problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his worth significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Approximated Annual Salary: $2.seven million
After a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where by she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next year Along with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived by using a worthwhile 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches at any time. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Income: $one.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a model of regularity at Maryland due to the fact taking over in 2002. With multiple meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.
Her very long-phrase effects and growth of leading-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her current deal involves bonuses for tutorial performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and college student development.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Yearly Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one of the best-paid out coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA Girls's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win record and has led Stanford to a few countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous M88 Final 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer hasn't been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, development of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her put among the all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Transforming Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of those coaches are reflective with the developing reputation and financial viability of women’s faculty basketball. Applications are attracting a lot more countrywide Television deals, ticket gross sales are rising, and company sponsors have gotten more invested in Girls's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, leadership, and achievement these coaches carry to their applications as well as the sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these 5 coaches at present direct the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has built important strides with their respective applications and will break into your prime 5 in the coming years as Girls's basketball proceeds to grow.
Closing Ideas
The days of underfunded women’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command superior salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture of their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity carries on to develop in popularity and aid, we can easily expect these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to carry on climbing.
Ladies’s faculty basketball isn’t just keeping rate—it’s location the tempo for the way forward for competitive athletics.