Women of all ages’s college basketball has witnessed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Along with the amplified recognition and commercial achievement in the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these prime-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Girls’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Right here’s a consider the five greatest-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $three.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold conventional in Females’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking over This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to numerous NCAA Closing Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and extended with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Wage: $two.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to a jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable efficiency have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present contract includes a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Salary: $2.seven million
After A prosperous two-ten years operate at Baylor, where by she received a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball earth by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second season Using the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, M88 bringing a brand new level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came having a profitable 8-calendar year, $23.six million contract, making her one of the best-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of regularity at Maryland since taking on in 2002. With many conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide contention for more than two decades.
Her very long-phrase effects and growth of leading-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and pupil progress.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Wage: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely 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 file and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last Four appearances.
When VanDerveer hasn't been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of those coaches are reflective on the rising attractiveness and financial viability of women’s school basketball. Plans are attracting far more nationwide Television discounts, ticket profits are raising, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in Girls's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and success these coaches bring for their systems as well as Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Although these 5 coaches now direct the way in which 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 could split in to the major five in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Final Feelings
The days of underfunded Girls’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command large salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport proceeds to develop in attractiveness and assist, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue soaring.
Ladies’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive athletics.