five Best-Compensated Women of all ages's University Basketball Coaches
five Best-Compensated Women of all ages's University Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women’s university basketball has viewed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. With the elevated recognition and commercial achievement from the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these top-tier coaches bring for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest inside their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits 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 payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Approximated Annual Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds to get the gold normal in Women of all ages’s higher education basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has designed 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 built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, building her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's faculty basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Wage: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball background—Gentlemen's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured valuable deal renewals. His current contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. While UConn has faced recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership keep his value high.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $two.seven million
Immediately after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new level of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile M88 arrival came having a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, generating her one among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Women of all ages's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her lengthy-time period effect and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer includes bonuses for educational performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and college student development.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply one of the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Ultimate 4 appearances.
When VanDerveer hasn't been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her put 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 growing recognition and monetary viability of women’s university basketball. Plans are attracting a lot more national TV 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 only an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and achievements these coaches provide to their applications and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at present lead how regarding earnings, numerous Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has designed considerable strides with their respective programs and will break in the leading 5 in the coming yrs as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just 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 carries on to grow in acceptance and aid, we will be expecting these salaries—as well as the profiles of those leaders—to carry on increasing.
Girls’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the rate for the future of competitive sports activities.