Ladies’s school basketball has witnessed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the greater popularity and commercial achievement from the sport, specifically in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with developing powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not only their spectacular salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Final 4 appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Women of all ages's college or university basketball record. That offer has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with efficiency incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $2.9 million
A residing 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 one of the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Gentlemen's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His present agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has faced modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management retain his price significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Approximated Annual Salary: $two.seven million
Immediately after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won three countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball earth 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 Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival came using a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her one among the very best-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Estimated Yearly Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a model of regularity at Maryland considering that taking over in 2002. With many conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide contention for more than two decades.
Her extensive-phrase influence and development of top rated-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her present-day deal features bonuses for educational effectiveness, wins, and postseason good results—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and university student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely one of 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 file and it has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Last 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 place among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Shifting Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket revenue are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra 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 success these coaches M88 bring for their packages along with the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches currently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has built major strides with their respective plans and will split into the top rated five in the approaching many years as Women of all ages's basketball carries on to grow.
Closing 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 culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to increase in recognition and guidance, we are able to be expecting these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Girls’s college basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the pace for the future of aggressive sporting activities.