Women of all ages’s college or university basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. Together with the amplified popularity and commercial achievement from the sport, specifically in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities carry on to speculate inside their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the money benefits that include constructing powerhouse plans.

Right here’s a think about the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite payment.

1. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $3.one million

Dawn Staley carries on to be the gold conventional in Girls’s school basketball coaching. A previous 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 Closing Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, earning her the very best-compensated Black head mentor in Girls's college 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
Believed Annual Salary: $2.nine million

A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked This system into Just about the most dominant dynasties in college or university basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and regular efficiency have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present deal features a foundation income, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Although UConn has confronted new worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership continue to keep his benefit higher.

3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million

Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, the place she received 3 nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In just her second time with the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new level of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.

Her large-profile arrival came with a profitable eight-calendar year, $23.six million contract, creating her certainly one of the best-paid Ladies’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.

four. Brenda Frese – M88 University of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $one.4 million

Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of consistency at Maryland since taking on in 2002. With several conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in national rivalry for over twenty years.

Her extended-term impression and advancement of top-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and pupil development.

5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Yearly Wage: $one.three million

Tara VanDerveer is not just among the highest-compensated coaches but also the winningest mentor in NCAA Gals's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire history and it has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Remaining 4 appearances.

Although VanDerveer has not been a person 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 put among the all-time greats in coaching historical past.

A Shifting Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective in the rising popularity and economic viability of ladies’s higher education basketball. Systems are attracting extra countrywide Television set deals, ticket sales are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.

The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and achievements these coaches carry to their programs and also the Activity in general.

Honorable Mentions
Although these five coaches currently guide how regarding earnings, numerous Other individuals are on the rise:

Kelly Graves (Oregon)

Vic Schaefer (Texas)

Jeff Walz (Louisville)

Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)

Every single of these coaches has made sizeable strides with their respective packages and could crack to the leading 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball continues to grow.

Remaining Views
The days of underfunded Women of all ages’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. As the sport continues to improve in acceptance and assist, we will anticipate these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to carry on rising.

Girls’s college basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the tempo for the way forward for aggressive sports.