5 Highest-Paid Ladies's Faculty Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Ladies's Faculty Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Females’s university basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the elevated reputation and industrial good results on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these prime-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities go on to speculate within their Females’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with developing powerhouse programs.
In this article’s a consider the five best-paid out Ladies’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their outstanding salaries but additionally the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Approximated Annual Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds to get the gold regular in Women of all ages’s higher education basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact 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-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the best-paid Black head mentor in Women of all ages's university basketball record. That deal has considering that been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of this list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated 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 higher education basketball record—men's or Females’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable general performance have ensured profitable agreement renewals. His recent agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Although UConn has faced latest issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million
Following a successful two-ten years operate at Baylor, wherever she gained three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for 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 using a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million contract, creating her certainly one of the best-paid out Females’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 due to the fact taking up in 2002. With various convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry 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 performance, wins, and M88 postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and scholar development.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one of the very best-paid out coaches but will also the winningest coach in NCAA Females's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The increasing salaries of such coaches are reflective of the expanding reputation and fiscal viability of ladies’s higher education basketball. Packages are attracting additional nationwide Television bargains, ticket income are escalating, and corporate sponsors are becoming more invested in women's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, leadership, and achievement these coaches bring for their systems plus the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently guide how regarding 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 significant strides with their respective systems and could crack in to the major five in the approaching several years as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Females’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. As being the Activity carries on to mature in acceptance and support, we will expect these salaries—as well as the profiles of such leaders—to carry on rising.
Girls’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining rate—it’s setting the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sports.