5 Best-Compensated Women's University Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Women's University Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Gals’s university basketball has viewed exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Along with the amplified popularity and commercial achievement from the sport, especially in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these best-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Ladies’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 in addition the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Approximated Annual Wage: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed 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 national 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 Females's college or university basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and prolonged with efficiency incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Income: $two.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Guys's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured valuable deal renewals. His present contract includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has faced modern worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management continue to keep his benefit superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
Following a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next time While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived that has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million agreement, producing her among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a design of consistency at Maryland since taking on in 2002. With several conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her prolonged-term effects and advancement of top-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her current deal features bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and pupil progress.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely considered one of the best-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA Women of all ages's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire history and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate Four appearances.
When VanDerveer hasn't been one 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 Changing Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and money viability of girls’s faculty basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide 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 only a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, leadership, and success these coaches convey for their plans and also the Activity 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 M88 (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each of those coaches has produced sizeable strides with their respective packages and will split into the prime five in the coming years as Girls's basketball continues to improve.
Final Feelings
The days of underfunded Girls’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command higher salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to expand in popularity and help, we can easily count on these salaries—plus the profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s university basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s environment the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sporting activities.