5 Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Ladies’s higher education basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last decade. With the improved acceptance and business accomplishment with the sport, particularly in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Females’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that include constructing powerhouse plans.
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
Approximated Annual Wage: $3.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds being the gold normal in women’s university basketball coaching. A former 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 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, creating her the best-paid Black head mentor in women's faculty basketball history. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and extended with effectiveness incentives, placing her firmly at the very best of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly 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 The most dominant dynasties in college or university basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Even though UConn has confronted new worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management continue to keep his benefit superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Approximated Annual Salary: $two.seven million
Immediately after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her large-profile arrival came which has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her one of the best-paid Ladies’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of regularity at Maryland since taking on in 2002. With multiple meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than two decades.
Her extensive-expression influence and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her recent offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not just considered one of the very best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Gals's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire report and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous 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 motivation to excellence have solidified her put Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Altering Landscape in Females's Basketball
The rising salaries of those coaches are reflective with the rising popularity and financial viability of women’s school basketball. Applications are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket sales are increasing, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in Girls's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the effort, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their courses plus the sport in general.
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 built important strides with their respective applications and will break in the leading 5 in the coming yrs as Females's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely M88 command superior salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, form the culture of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to develop in attractiveness and assistance, we could anticipate these salaries—along with the profiles of such leaders—to continue growing.
Gals’s school basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s setting the tempo for the future of aggressive athletics.