5 Best-Compensated Women's University Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Women's University Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s university basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness over the past ten years. Together with the greater attractiveness and professional achievement in the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these leading-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Females’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the economic rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Right here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid women’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their outstanding salaries but in addition the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold conventional in Gals’s higher education basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has designed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Considering the fact that taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Final 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 highest-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college basketball historical past. That offer has considering that been restructured and prolonged with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $2.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—Males's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and consistent efficiency have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present contract includes a base wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Salary: $2.seven million
After a successful two-ten years operate at Baylor, where by she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second time with the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived that has a beneficial 8-yr, $23.six million agreement, generating her among the highest-compensated Women of all ages’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly created a model of regularity at Maryland considering that taking over in 2002. With various convention 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 extensive-phrase impact and enhancement of best-tier expertise have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her recent offer involves bonuses M88 for academic functionality, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and university student advancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely one of the very best-paid out coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Gals's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get report and it has led Stanford to 3 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 correctly compensated. Her Management, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Altering Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of such coaches are reflective of your expanding reputation and fiscal viability of ladies’s faculty basketball. Courses are attracting more countrywide Television set deals, ticket sales are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be more invested in women's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their applications and also the Activity in general.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches currently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of those coaches has produced sizeable strides with their respective systems and could crack to the leading 5 in the coming decades as Gals's basketball continues to mature.
Ultimate Thoughts
The times of underfunded women’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport carries on to mature in acceptance and assistance, we could anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Ladies’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of aggressive sporting activities.