Mel Tucker nearly became Tennessee’s head coach this offseason. While that position ultimately went to Jeremy Pruitt, Tucker is getting one heck of a pay raise to stay in Athens for at least another season.

Georgia’s defensive coordinator will now make $1.5 million next season, $600,000 more than he was originally set to make before earning an offseason raise. These figures come via an open records request by Jason Butt of The Telegraph.

Led by its dominant defense, the Bulldogs captured the SEC Championship in 2017 and finished as the national runner-up to Alabama. Georgia allowed an average of 16.4 points per game last season, down from 24 in 2016. The Bulldog red-zone defense also took a dramatic uptick in performance. UGA finished second in the SEC with an opponent conversion percentage of only 77 percent. The Dawgs allowed opponents to convert over 90 percent of red zone opportunities in 2016.

Considering the improvements his unit made on the field, Tucker certainly deserved this increase. Now Georgia fans should expect head coach Kirby Smart to be next this offseason.