Gals’s higher education basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Along with the increased recognition and commercial achievement in the sport, especially in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and Management these best-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position inside their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse systems.

Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Women of all ages’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their remarkable salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.

1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million

Dawn Staley carries on for being the gold standard in Gals’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking over This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Last Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Women of all ages's university basketball record. That deal has considering that been restructured and prolonged with efficiency incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this listing.

two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Wage: $two.9 million

A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has remodeled This system into One of the more dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and regular general performance have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Whilst UConn has faced current difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership keep his value higher.

3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $two.7 million

Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period With all the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a completely new amount of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.

Her superior-profile arrival arrived using a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, generating her among the highest-compensated Ladies’s coaches at any time. Recognized for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in M88 Gals'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 considering that taking over in 2002. With many conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national competition for over 20 years.

Her long-phrase impact and growth of leading-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and student growth.

five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million

Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get file and it has led Stanford to a few countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.

Whilst VanDerveer has not been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.

A Shifting Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The expanding salaries of such coaches are reflective of your growing recognition and monetary viability of women’s school basketball. Applications are attracting a lot more national TV deals, ticket sales are escalating, and corporate sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports activities.

The rise in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and results these coaches carry to their programs as well as Activity as a whole.

Honorable Mentions
Though these 5 coaches at present lead how regarding earnings, numerous Other people 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 best 5 in the coming decades as Females's basketball proceeds to increase.

Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Females’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to increase in popularity and assist, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.

Ladies’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s placing the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.