Females’s school basketball has witnessed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. With all the enhanced level of popularity and business results with the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I packages, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and Management these major-tier coaches provide for their teams and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Women of all ages’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their remarkable salaries but also 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 to become the gold standard in Gals’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Considering that taking over the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, generating her the best-paid Black head mentor in women's higher education basketball history. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and extended with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Estimated 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 existing agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Whilst UConn has faced current problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.seven million
After A prosperous two-ten years run at Baylor, the place she gained three countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball earth by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next time Along with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival came using a rewarding 8-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her one among the highest-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that taking up in 2002. With numerous meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide contention for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period effect and development of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and scholar improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just amongst the highest-paid out coaches but will also the winningest coach in NCAA Females's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win document and has led Stanford to a few countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Although 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 spot 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 developing level of popularity and economical viability of ladies’s faculty basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are raising, and company sponsors have become much more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition of your exertions, leadership, and achievement these M88 coaches bring for their packages as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Although these five coaches now 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)
Each of such coaches has created significant strides with their respective systems and could crack in to the major five in the approaching a long time as Women of all ages's basketball carries on to grow.
Closing Thoughts
The days of underfunded Women of all ages’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command substantial salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, form the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport carries on to mature in acceptance and support, we will hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Girls’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive sports activities.