Females’s school basketball has witnessed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the enhanced acceptance and business accomplishment on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and Management these major-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include constructing powerhouse plans.
Right here’s a think about the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Yearly Salary: $three.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold conventional in Girls’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Final Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million agreement, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has given that been restructured and prolonged with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Wage: $two.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to a 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 university basketball heritage—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured worthwhile agreement renewals. His latest deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing promotions, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has faced current problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his value large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million
Soon after An effective two-decade run at Baylor, where she received 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 new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived by using a rewarding 8-calendar M88 year, $23.6 million contract, earning her amongst the very best-paid Women of all ages’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching design and style, flamboyant vogue, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Estimated Yearly Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design 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 contention for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period effect and development of top rated-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her latest deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and pupil enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply one of the highest-paid out coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain document and has led Stanford to a few countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various 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 among the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The expanding salaries of such coaches are reflective of your growing recognition and economic viability of ladies’s university basketball. Packages are attracting far more nationwide Television discounts, 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 of your effort, leadership, and accomplishment these coaches deliver for their courses plus the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches currently guide the best way 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 major strides with their respective plans and will split into the top rated five in the approaching a long time as Ladies's basketball carries on to develop.
Remaining Feelings
The days of underfunded Gals’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. As the sport proceeds to develop in reputation and aid, we are able to be expecting these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to carry on soaring.
Females’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the rate for the way forward for competitive sports.