five Greatest-Paid Girls's College or university Basketball Coaches
five Greatest-Paid Girls's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s school basketball has witnessed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. With all the enhanced level of popularity and professional achievements of your Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these top-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Right here’s a think about the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in women’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Considering the fact that taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to numerous NCAA Remaining 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 highest-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's college or university basketball background. That offer has since been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Annual Income: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has transformed the program into One of the more dominant dynasties in school basketball historical past—Adult males's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured valuable deal renewals. His current contract includes a base salary, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. While UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership keep his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $2.seven million
Just after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next period Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived using a rewarding eight-12 months, $23.6 million contract, creating her one of the best-paid out women’s coaches at any 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 – University of Maryland
Estimated Yearly Salary: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly created a model of regularity at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With several meeting championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than twenty years.
Her prolonged-term affect and development of top rated-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and scholar development.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire history and it has led Stanford to 3 national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last Four appearances.
Even M88 though VanDerveer hasn't been a person to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Among the many all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the expanding reputation and fiscal viability of ladies’s higher education basketball. Packages are attracting additional nationwide Television bargains, ticket product sales are escalating, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not only an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, Management, and achievements these coaches provide to their applications and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at the moment lead just how with regard to earnings, many Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of these coaches has built major strides with their respective plans and will break into your prime 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball continues to increase.
Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Girls’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to expand in popularity and assist, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s university basketball isn’t just holding pace—it’s environment the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sporting activities.