Gals’s faculty basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past ten years. Along with the increased popularity and commercial success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the value and leadership these top-tier coaches bring for their teams and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal benefits 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 impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.

one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million

Dawn Staley carries on for being the gold standard in Gals’s higher education basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Considering that taking over This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Closing 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, building her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in women's faculty basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with efficiency incentives, inserting her firmly at the top of this record.

two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Estimated Annual Wage: $two.nine million

A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to a jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball record—Males's or Girls’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His recent agreement features a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Although UConn has faced modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.

3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Wage: $2.7 million

Following a successful two-ten years operate at Baylor, wherever she gained 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her second season with the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a whole new degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.

Her substantial-profile arrival came with a valuable eight-yr, $23.six million agreement, creating her one of the best-paid out women’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 Yearly Salary: $one.four million

Brenda Frese has quietly created a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than two decades.

Her very long-phrase effects and advancement of major-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her latest deal involves bonuses for academic general performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and college student 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 historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 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, advancement of WNBA stars, and motivation to M88 excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching record.

A Changing Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The escalating salaries of these coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and money viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are raising, and corporate sponsors have become much more invested in Ladies's sports.

The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, leadership, and success these coaches convey for their plans as well as 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 (Louisville)

Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)

Each individual of those coaches has produced sizeable strides with their respective packages and could split into the top rated five in the approaching many years as Gals's basketball continues to mature.

Last Views
The times of underfunded Women of all ages’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command higher salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the tradition in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. As being the Activity continues to improve in recognition and guidance, we can assume these salaries—and the profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.

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