As the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season tips off, the coaches leading elite programs are earning salaries that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. The money flowing into women’s hoops reflects packed arenas, record television ratings, and programs finally investing in championship-caliber leadership.
1) Dawn Staley – $4 Million
Since taking over South Carolina in 2008, Staley has transformed the Gamecocks into a national powerhouse with three NCAA championships (2017, 2022, and 2024), including a perfect 38-0 season in 2024. Her teams have reached seven Final Fours in the last 10 tournaments.
Her five-year extension runs through the 2029-30 season with a total value of approximately $25.25 million. The deal includes a $500,000 signing bonus and features a $250,000 annual escalator, meaning her salary increases each year.
She has been named National Coach of the Year five times, including three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024. Beyond coaching, Staley led the U.S. Women’s National Team to Olympic gold in Tokyo 2021.
Her contract represents South Carolina’s long-term commitment to competing with elite programs. The Gamecocks started 2025-26 ranked No. 2 nationally despite losing star forward Chloe Kitts to a season-ending ACL injury days before the season opener.
2) Geno Auriemma – $3.54 Million
At 71 years old, Auriemma secured his 12th NCAA national championship in April 2025, extending his record as the most decorated coach in Division I basketball history. Earlier in the 2024-25 season, he became the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history with his 1,217th career victory.
His five-year extension, signed in June 2024, is valued at $18.7 million through April 2029. The deal includes a base salary of $400,000 plus additional compensation for speaking, consulting, and media obligations that increase by $200,000 annually.
His 2024-25 earnings exceeded $4 million when including $737,000 in bonuses, with $300,000 coming from the national championship victory.
His resume includes 24 Final Four appearances, six perfect seasons, and 61 conference championships across his 40-year tenure at UConn. The Huskies finished 2024-25 with a 37-3 record behind Paige Bueckers, who declared for the 2025 WNBA draft and now plays for the Dallas Wings.
3) Kim Mulkey – $3.35 Million
The 63-year-old Hall of Fame coach has won four NCAA championships as a head coach, three at Baylor (2005, 2012, 2019) and one at LSU in 2023. She holds the unique distinction of being the only coach in NCAA basketball history to win national championships as a player, assistant coach, and head coach.
Her 10-year, $32 million contract extension, signed in September 2023, represented the richest total deal in women’s college basketball history at the time. Mulkey’s base salary is $400,000, with the bulk coming from supplemental income that increases by $100,000 annually, reaching $4.05 million by the contract’s conclusion in 2032-33.
The package also includes perks such as a country club membership, a $1,000 monthly automobile allowance, and an annual personal travel allowance of $80,000.
For the 2025-26 season, Mulkey is rebuilding her roster after significant turnover, signing the No. 1 recruiting class in America, which includes four Top-35 prospects. The Tigers will return key players Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, both preseason All-SEC selections.
4) Vic Schaefer – $2.3 Million
He has compiled a 135-34 record since arriving in 2020, leading the Longhorns to three Elite Eight appearances. His defensive-minded approach and recruiting ability have positioned Texas among the nation’s elite programs.
His three-year extension, signed in February 2025, keeps him at Texas through the 2029-30 season. His current annual base salary of $2.3 million remains unchanged through the 2026-27 season before increasing by $100,000 annually, reaching $2.6 million by 2030.
The contract includes substantial performance bonuses, with potential earnings of up to $250,000 for winning a national championship, as well as incremental bonuses for reaching the Sweet 16 ($75,000), Elite Eight ($100,000), and Final Four ($150,000).
Before Texas, Schaefer led Mississippi State to back-to-back national championship game appearances in 2017 and 2018. His 221-62 record at Mississippi State included four consecutive Sweet 16 appearances, three straight Elite Eight berths, and three 30-win seasons, earning him National Coach of the Year honors twice.
5) Brenda Frese – $1.88 Million
Her 23-year tenure at Maryland has been marked by consistent excellence. She won the 2006 NCAA championship in just her fourth season and has been named AP National Coach of the Year twice, one of only four coaches to receive that honor multiple times alongside Auriemma, Mulkey, and Muffet McGraw.
Her contract extension, signed in April 2022, runs through the 2028-29 season. The deal includes a $660,000 base salary plus $1,040,000 in supplemental annual income that increases by $100,000 each year.
Since Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014, Frese’s teams have dominated the conference, winning six of eight league championships through 2022. She was named Big Ten Coach of the Year four times and became the winningest coach in program history with over 500 victories at Maryland.
These five coaches represent the pinnacle of women’s college basketball compensation, though the gap with men’s basketball remains significant. The average salary for the top 20 men’s basketball coaches still exceeds $5 million annually, well above even Staley’s industry-leading figure.