Females’s college basketball has observed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. With all the enhanced level of popularity and business results with the Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these major-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.

Right here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their extraordinary salaries but 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 for being the gold conventional in Gals’s higher education basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking over This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to numerous NCAA Closing Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she made headlines by signing a historic 7-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, earning her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college or university basketball historical past. That offer has since been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the best of the list.

2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million

A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to a jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into Among the most dominant dynasties in university basketball historical past—men's or Females’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and reliable general performance have ensured profitable contract renewals. His recent agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has faced modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his price substantial.

3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Once-a-year Income: $two.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 excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.

Her high-profile arrival arrived by using a rewarding 8-calendar year, $23.6 million deal, building her considered one of the very best-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.

four. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.4 million

Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that taking up in 2002. With numerous meeting 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 prolonged-expression impact and enhancement of best-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer contains bonuses for tutorial overall performance, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and university student advancement.

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

Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Gals's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get report and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last Four 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, improvement M88 of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Among the many all-time greats in coaching record.

A Altering Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective on the rising attractiveness and financial viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting much more national Television set discounts, ticket product sales are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming much more invested in women's sports.

The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, leadership, and achievement these coaches bring for their packages as well as the sport in general.

Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches now direct the way in which when it comes to earnings, several Many others are going up:

Kelly Graves (Oregon)

Vic Schaefer (Texas)

Jeff Walz (Louisville)

Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)

Each and every of such coaches has manufactured considerable strides with their respective programs and could crack to the leading 5 in the approaching years as Ladies's basketball continues to expand.

Last Views
The days of underfunded Females’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command large salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, shape the lifestyle of their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity continues to improve in reputation and aid, we are able to hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of those leaders—to carry on increasing.

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