Women of all ages’s college or university basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness over the past 10 years. While using the improved acceptance and industrial accomplishment on the sport, specifically in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the value and leadership these top rated-tier coaches provide for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the monetary benefits that include constructing powerhouse plans.

Right here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid women’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their spectacular salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.

one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Salary: $three.1 million

Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold conventional in Ladies’s college basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has designed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Last 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic 7-year, $22.four million deal, producing her the highest-paid Black head coach in Ladies's higher education basketball record. That offer has since been restructured and extended with performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the top of this record.

two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $2.9 million

A residing 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 Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and consistent functionality have ensured valuable deal renewals. His present contract features a base wage, media obligations, clothing specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Although UConn has faced recent issues with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his benefit superior.

three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Wage: $2.7 million

Following a successful two-decade operate at Baylor, where she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball entire world by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second season with the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and spotlight to M88 Baton Rouge.

Her high-profile arrival arrived that has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her certainly one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, 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 crafted a design of regularity at Maryland due to the fact taking over in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.

Her very long-phrase effects and growth of leading-tier expertise have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her present offer consists of bonuses for tutorial overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and university student advancement.

five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.3 million

Tara VanDerveer is not merely one of the very best-paid out coaches but will also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get file and it has led Stanford to 3 national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate 4 appearances.

Though VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.

A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective in the increasing attractiveness and financial viability of women’s school basketball. Applications are attracting a lot more nationwide Television offers, ticket profits are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be additional invested in Females's sporting activities.

The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, leadership, and achievements these coaches bring for their systems plus the Activity as a whole.

Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches currently lead the way in which with regards to earnings, quite a few Other individuals are on the rise:

Kelly Graves (Oregon)

Vic Schaefer (Texas)

Jeff Walz (Louisville)

Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)

Every single of those coaches has designed sizeable strides with their respective applications and could split in to the top 5 in the coming a long time as Girls's basketball carries on to expand.

Remaining Feelings
The times of underfunded Girls’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command large salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity continues to expand in popularity and assist, we can be expecting these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.

Girls’s college basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s location the tempo for the future of aggressive sports activities.