5 Highest-Paid Ladies's College or university Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Ladies's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s university basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness over the past 10 years. With all the enhanced acceptance and business results with the sport, particularly in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities go on to speculate within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that come with developing powerhouse courses.
In this article’s a consider the five best-paid out Ladies’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their amazing salaries but additionally the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold standard in Girls’s faculty basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Considering that taking over the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to various NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in women's higher education basketball history. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Annual Income: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball historical past—Adult males's or women’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has confronted the latest challenges with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management continue to keep his benefit superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.seven million
Soon after An effective two-decade run at Baylor, where she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball world by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd season Using the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival came having a lucrative eight-yr, $23.six million agreement, producing her certainly one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, M88 Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period influence and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present offer includes bonuses for educational general performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and college student enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 appearances.
When VanDerveer hasn't been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching record.
A Altering Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The rising salaries of those coaches are reflective on the rising attractiveness and economical viability of girls’s university basketball. Plans are attracting additional nationwide Tv set discounts, ticket income are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming more invested in women's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not merely a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, leadership, and achievement these coaches bring for their packages as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Although these 5 coaches at this time direct the way concerning earnings, various Other folks are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each individual of those coaches has made sizeable strides with their respective packages and will split into the prime five in the coming years as Girls's basketball continues to improve.
Last Feelings
The days of underfunded Girls’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command high 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 proceeds to expand in attractiveness and help, we can easily anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of these leaders—to continue climbing.
Women of all ages’s school basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s setting the tempo for the future of competitive athletics.