With Urban Meyer’s contract coming to an end in a relatively short period — three years to be exact, Ohio State AD Gene Smith doesn’t seem to appreciate other schools setting the price tag for an elite coach so high.

Despite paying Meyer $6.4 million in 2017, the fourth richest deal in the nation last season, Smith apparently takes issue with how much Texas A&M and Alabama are willing to spend on football coaches. For Smith’s sanity, let’s hope he hasn’t heard that LSU just gave its defensive coordinator Dave Aranda a four-year deal worth a guaranteed $10 million.

According to Colin Hass-Hill of The Lantern, Smith recently called out the schools in College Station and Tuscaloosa for their “reactionary type of management” when it comes to handing out contracts to football coaches:

“I don’t even put Texas A&M in our sphere because I’m considering Urban [Meyer]’s situation with three years left on his contract,” Smith said during Ohio State’s Board of Trustees’ Talent and Compensation Committee meeting Thursday. “Talking with [Susan Basso, vice president of human resources] and [Joanna McGoldrick, associate vice president of total rewards], that’s not even someone that we’re comparing with because it’s so ridiculous.

“It’s the same way with Alabama and their total salary. Take it off the sheet because it doesn’t matter. Because it’s just no value to it. It’s a reactionary type of management.”

It will now be interesting to see what happens if Meyer continues to win big in Columbus with his deal getting closer and closer to expiring. If push comes to shove and Meyer begins to question why less successful coaches are being paid more than him — such as Fisher and Jim Harbaugh, there’s little doubt Ohio State won’t back up the truck to the Meyer household to keep its coach in Columbus.

Whether that’s a “reactionary type of management” or not, if Smith doesn’t keep Meyer happy, another school will certainly be willing to do what it costs to land one of the best coaches in the nation. If Smith doesn’t like it and refuses to join the club, there’s little doubt the school will side with Meyer considering all the profit he brings the school.