Kirby Smart, Georgia reportedly finalize record-breaking contract extension
Kirby Smart and Georgia have finalized a new contract extension, according to a report.
The new deal with UGA is reportedly a 10-year contract that’s worth $130 million. That’s according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Low, who said the contract was officially approved by university officials on Thursday.
Per the report, Smart’s contract is fully guaranteed for “at least” the first half of the deal. His contract with UGA now runs through the 2033 football season.
Smart was previously slated to make $10.75 million in 2024 under his previous contract. Instead, he becomes the first-ever college football head coach to make $13 million in a season.
“I continue to be grateful and humbled by our administration’s commitment to our football program,” Smart said in a statement to ESPN. “The current culture in collegiate athletics is ever-changing and as challenging as it has ever been, so I truly appreciate the leadership that our team is continually provided. I have an immense pride for representing my alma mater and look forward to that relationship continuing for many years to come.”
Nick Saban was previously the highest-paid coach in college football before he retired back in January, making just north of $11 million in 2023. Dabo Swinney, Lincoln Riley, Kalen DeBoer, Mike Norvell and Steve Sarkisian are all expected to make 8-figure salaries in 2024.
Smart has certainly earned his status as college football’s highest-paid coach. UGA has won 2 of the last 3 national championships and has gone 42-2 overall over that span.
Smart is entering his 9th season as Georgia’s head coach in 2024. Over the previous 8 seasons with him in charge, UGA has an overall record of 94-16 and a record of 56-9. Only twice during his tenure has Georgia lost more than 1 SEC regular-season game in a single season.
Georgia will open the 2024 season against Clemson on Aug. 31.
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Fitting
The soon to be GOAT of all GOATS
Maybe eventually, but not soon
The best football in America is played at the University of Georgia.
Doug, I hate to lay the hammer down on you but you leave me no choice…
27-24
Take a seat and try again.
Best football at UGA? If that were the case, wouldn’t they have 3-peated?
GeauxTigers8 GA would have threepeated if Brock Bowers had been healthy for the AL game-he would definitely have contributed more than the 4 points GA needed to win the game and GA would definitely have beaten Michigan again.
Georgian in exile
In addition to Bowers McConkey wasn’t even close to 100% for the SEC championship game and Amarius Mims left the game in the 1st quarter with an ankle injury.
That’s two 1st round draft picks and the 34th draft pick that were non-factors in the SECCG. Add in JDJ and Rara Thomas also out of the game.
“In addition to Bowers McConkey wasn’t even close to 100% for the SEC championship game and Amarius Mims left the game in the 1st quarter with an ankle injury.“
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
Jameson Williams and Metchie would have rings if they were healthy. Don’t ever use injuries as an UGA fan again.
More impressive is that he still seems like a good down to earth dude….. wish he hadn’t pushed the clot shot but I’m sure was good intentions…..
Earned every dollar and worth every penny
You get what you pay for. Write the checks.
He has certainly justified his pay thus far.
The UGA admin & boosters are basically saying, “The King is dead. Long live the King.” Not so fast, my friends. #DeBoer #Sarkisian #SEC
It’s very simple, the best college football program in America is in Athens GA, Kirby is being paid based on results.
Fitting, immensely deserved. Kirby built a monster and is now reaping the rewards. No other team and coach I’d see at the top with Bama.
“No other team and coach I’d see at the top with Bama.”
Are you saying Bama is “at the top” of college football?
lol it’s 2024, Saban is long gone and the refs probably aren’t going to throw calls and games for Deboers but keep on running that mouth while you kinda, sorta can
Finished top 4 in the country (higher than UGA) and returns a top 6 Heisman caliber QB (higher than UGA), had the 2nd best recruiting class in 24, oh and also beat UGA in ATL to move to undefeated against Kirby in SEC Championships.
Be stupid somewhere else.
Very cool…he’s now getting paid almost as much as Arch and Iamalleva
I understand you’re being sarcastic, but it’s funny to me that nobody seems to complain that a coach is making $250k a week now, but players signing at schools for NIL contracts is “ruining cfb”.
It’s funny to me that the people who always make that comparison fail to see the difference in the ROI to a school for a long term successful coach vs that of a short term player. It’s fine to argue that players should receive compensation for their NIL. I get that. But, balancing it against a coach is like comparing apples and oranges.
Here’s the fun question, and it could apply for any coach or assistant making a big salary: Is any of that money flowing into the school’s NIL collective?
From a strictly legal perspective, people can donate their salary however they like, and I haven’t heard of any NCAA restrictions on coach salaries. Even if there were NCAA rules, they’d be impossible to enforce as NIL balance sheets aren’t public and the NCAA is all but toothless these days anyway.
I suppose a coach, like anyone else can donate to a collective. Why not?
Good for him. He has earned it. It will still be a long time before he is considered anywhere NEAR the GOAT status of Saban, but he is on the right road.
He doesn’t have to be considered the GOAT. It’s really a subjective title that really is impossible to quantify. Coach Bryant was considered the GOAT. Vince Lomardi was considered the GOAT. Babe Ruth. The list goes on.
Different eras make comparisons impossible. Would Coach Saban have accomplished his feats in a NIL/Transfer Portal era? Maybe, maybe not.
All that money to lose the SECCG and not make the playoffs! Good investment. LOL
Not bad, I give that dig a B+ prez…well played. Guess you forgot about the 2 more recent rings than Bama has but still, well played ol boi.
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Lots of Jawga grown men on here whining, making excuses and gnashing of teeth. Refs this and that, receivers hurt. Excuse making. I remember a few years ago when Alabama had a couple of key receivers out hurt. You Jawga critters were screaming, next man up!! Alabama fans don’t make excuses blah blah blah. It is a sickly and pitiful group of Jawga fans that cry like babies on here. Pathetic.
Call me when Alabama goes 30-0. Call me when Alabama gets 15 players drafted in 1 draft.
“Alabama fans don’t make excuses”. Perhaps the former coach does.
We’re playing with some guys who didn’t have a lot of experience, and it eventually got us in the fourth quarter,” Saban told the Alabama Football Coaches Association in January. “And we had the kind of team where we had a really good quarterback, and we wanted to have skill guys that they couldn’t guard, so we had two, (Metchie and Williams), that were really, really good, and they both got hurt.”
And right away one fan JTF whines. And one idiot Dougie responds.
Thank you Jim Harbaugh and Seth McLaughlin.
The article states, “Dabo Swinney, Lincoln Riley, Kalen DeBoer, Mike Norvell and Steve Sarkisian are all expected to make 8-figure salaries in 2024.” If that’s true, then how much of Kirby’s raise is about not being one-upped by the competition?