Women of all ages’s higher education basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past ten years. Together with the greater attractiveness and professional achievements of your Activity, particularly 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 look at the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their spectacular salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Approximated Annual Income: $3.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds to get the gold regular in women’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to many NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Gals's university basketball record. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with efficiency incentives, inserting her firmly at the highest of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Income: $two.9 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 remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured valuable deal renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel discounts, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Event runs. Even though UConn has confronted new worries with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management retain his benefit superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Wage: $two.7 million
After a successful two-decade run at Baylor, where she received three national titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next year While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new amount of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived which has a beneficial eight-yr, $23.6 million deal, generating her one among the highest-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese M88 – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With many conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide contention for over twenty years.
Her very long-term effects and growth of leading-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present offer consists of bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and pupil progress.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just among the best-compensated coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to a few countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer hasn't been one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her spot Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Shifting Landscape in Women's Basketball
The escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective on the rising popularity and financial viability of women’s school basketball. Plans are attracting a lot more national Television offers, ticket product sales are escalating, and corporate sponsors are becoming more invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, leadership, and good results these coaches bring for their systems plus the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently direct just how concerning earnings, several Other people are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of those coaches has designed important strides with their respective plans and will split into the major five in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Girls’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command large salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the lifestyle of their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to expand in popularity and assist, we can be expecting these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on increasing.
Gals’s school basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s setting the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.