5 Highest-Paid Females's College Basketball Coaches

Ladies’s college basketball has found exponential progress in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness over the past 10 years. With the elevated recognition and industrial 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 for their groups and universities. As universities continue to invest in their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, a handful of standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that come with developing powerhouse applications.

Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Females’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 Yearly Income: $3.one million

Dawn Staley continues to be the gold typical in Females’s 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 many NCAA Last 4 appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Women of all ages's higher education basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of this record.

2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Wage: $two.nine million

A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into Just about the most dominant dynasties in college or university basketball history—Adult men's or women’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. When UConn has confronted new challenges with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management continue to keep his benefit high.

three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Wage: $2.seven million

Right after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball entire world by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second time While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.

Her significant-profile arrival came having a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her considered one of the very best-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.

4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Annual Income: $1.four million

Brenda Frese has quietly developed a model of regularity at Maryland due to the fact taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national rivalry for over 20 years.

Her long-expression influence and progress of top rated-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her latest offer features bonuses for educational performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin dedication to athletics and scholar improvement.

5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Salary: $1.three million

Tara VanDerveer is don't just among the very best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Remaining 4 appearances.

Whilst VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, enhancement of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her spot One of the all-time greats in coaching heritage.

A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing acceptance and fiscal viability of ladies’s faculty basketball. Systems are attracting additional nationwide Tv set discounts, ticket income are rising, and corporate sponsors have gotten far more invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.

The increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their courses plus the sport as a whole.

Honorable Mentions
Though these five coaches presently guide how regarding earnings, numerous others are rising:

Kelly Graves (Oregon)

Vic Schaefer (Texas)

Jeff Walz (Louisville)

Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)

Every single of these coaches has designed important strides with their respective applications and will break in the best 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball proceeds to increase.

Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Girls’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command higher salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, shape the tradition in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. As being the Activity continues to increase in recognition and guidance, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to carry on soaring.

Ladies’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the rate for the way forward for M88 competitive sports activities.