5 Highest-Paid Girls's University Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Girls's University Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Gals’s college or university basketball has observed exponential progress in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Together with the elevated attractiveness and industrial good results with the sport, especially in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities go on to take a position within their Females’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that include creating powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley carries on for being the gold standard in Gals’s higher education basketball coaching. A former 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 numerous NCAA Remaining Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.four million contract, generating her the very best-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college basketball historical past. That offer has given that been restructured and prolonged with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the best of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into one of the most dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—men's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and regular general performance have ensured profitable contract renewals. His recent agreement features a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has faced modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management hold his price substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Right after a successful two-decade M88 operate at Baylor, where she gained a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball entire world by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next year Along with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival came which has a valuable 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her one of the best-paid out Ladies’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of regularity at Maryland due to the fact taking over in 2002. With various convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved 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 department. Her latest deal features bonuses for educational general performance, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and pupil enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one of the best-compensated coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Females's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Remaining Four appearances.
Whilst VanDerveer has not been just one 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 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 in the increasing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting more nationwide Television specials, ticket gross sales are rising, and company sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and results these coaches carry to their programs as well as Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at the moment lead the way concerning earnings, various Other folks are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each of such coaches has created significant strides with their respective courses and could crack to the top five in the approaching yrs as women's basketball carries on to develop.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture in their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to increase in recognition and help, we are able to count on these salaries—along with the profiles of these leaders—to carry on soaring.
Females’s college or university basketball isn’t just maintaining rate—it’s placing the pace for the way forward for aggressive sports.