five Optimum-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
five Optimum-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s faculty basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past ten years. Together with the amplified popularity and professional success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the value and leadership these prime-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 setting up powerhouse systems.
Below’s a look at the 5 optimum-paid women’s college or university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their amazing salaries but additionally 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 Girls’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to many NCAA Closing Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million contract, building her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's faculty basketball historical past. That deal has given that been restructured and prolonged with performance incentives, positioning her firmly at the highest of this checklist.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Approximated Annual Wage: $two.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked This system into Just about the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball historical past—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and consistent efficiency have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present-day deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing promotions, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted the latest challenges with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management keep his value higher.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million
Right after a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period With all the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived that has a worthwhile 8-year, $23.six million contract, creating her one of the best-paid out women’s coaches at any M88 time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Yearly Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that 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-expression influence and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her current deal features bonuses for academic 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 Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and has led Stanford to three national 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 properly compensated. Her Management, progress of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing acceptance and money viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are expanding, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in Girls's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition in the hard work, Management, and results these coaches carry to their plans and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at the moment direct the way in which 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 manufactured substantial strides with their respective programs and will break in the best 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball continues to improve.
Last Feelings
The days of underfunded Gals’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command high salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the tradition in their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport continues to increase in reputation and assist, we can easily anticipate these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Ladies’s higher education basketball isn’t just retaining pace—it’s placing the speed for the way forward for competitive sports activities.