With a win in the 2023 NCAA Basketball National Championship — her fourth title after winning three with Baylor — Kim Mulkey (above) ascended into the conversation of the greatest women’s college basketball coaches of all-time.
LSU rewarded the 61-year-old with a 10-year, $32 million extension — making her the highest-paid coach in women’s college basketball on an average annual basis. With the raise, she leapfrogged UConn’s Geno Auriemma ($3.1M) and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley ($3.1M).
While Mulkey’s raise is a step in the right direction, women’s coaches are still fighting to earn comparable salaries to their men’s counterparts.
Across Power 5 college sports, coaching salaries for women’s sports aren’t growing at a rate comparable to men’s salaries, according to a new study submitted for formal publication on Wednesday, which was led by Wayne State professor and Syracuse scholar-in-residence Scott Hirko.
Between 2014-2021, average Power 5 men’s coaching compensation grew at a rate of 55%, while women’s only grew 33%. The study data was collected and published by the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database.
Men’s coaching buyouts also grew at a rate astronomically higher than all of the women’s salaries — 208%, from $574,188 to $1.8 million.
It’s reasonable to assume average women’s salaries will continue to be lower than men’s.
The study notes that Power 5 football — by far the most lucrative college sport — contributed to the dynamic. The launch of the College Football Playoff in 2014, for example, allowed for major inflation of football spending.
But the disparity in growth rate suggests that top programs haven’t provided an equitable investment in women’s sports. In fact, the study found that a growth gap existed even when football was taken out of the equation.
But you can also notice the recent data on who is the highest-paid men’s college basketball head coach.
Top 25 Coaches 2023 to ’24
Most of the annual earnings are based on 2023 to ’24 USA Today data on public universities and from news organizations but take into account coaching changes, compensation data, and the latest information. Private universities, which are not required to disclose salaries, were not included in this list.
- Updated: March 14, 2024
- Will be updated again: October 2024
| Rank | Coach | School | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kim Mulkey | LSU | $3.26 million |
| 2 | Geno Auriemma | Connecticut | $3.1 million |
| 3 | Dawn Staley | South Carolina | $3.1 million |
| 4 | Vic Schaefer | Texas | $2.3 million |
| 5 | Brenda Frese | Maryland | $1.88 million |
| 6 | Jeff Walz | Louisville | $1.75 million |
| 7 | Joni Taylor | Texas A&M | $1.5 million |
| 8 | Lisa Bluder | Iowa | $1.4 million |
| 9 | Teri Moren | Indiana | $1.25 million |
| 10 | Adia Barnes | Arizona | $1.2 million |
| 11 | Shauna Green | Illinois | $1.1 million |
| 12 | Kellie Harper | Tennessee | $1.1 million |
| 13 | Scott Rueck | Oregon State | $1.09 million |
| 14 | Kelly Graves | Oregon | $1.08 million |
| 15 | Kevin McGuff | Ohio State | $1.04 million |
| 16 | Yolett McPhee-McCuin | Ole Miss | $1.04 million |
| 17 | Wes Moore | North Carolina St. | $1.03 million |
| 18 | Robyn Fralick | Michigan State | $1 million |
| 19 | Katie Abrahamson-Henderson | Georgia | $977,000 |
| 20 | Courtney Banghart | North Carolina | $950,000 |
| 21 | Kim Barnes Arico | Michigan | $893,500 |
| 22 | Kenny Brooks | Virginia Tech | $890,000 |
| 23 | Bill Fennelly | Iowa State | $850,000 |
| 24 | Nell Fortner | Georgia Tech | $816,000 |
| 25 | Jennie Baranczyk | Oklahoma | $800,000 |
