Kirby Smart Is Worth Every Penny Of His New Contract, And Here's Why | Barrett Sallee

Georgia coach Kirby Smart has reached the top of the college football mountaintop with national titles in two of the previous three seasons, and now he’s on the mountaintop as the richest coach in the sport. Smart and the the school agreed to a new 10-year contract that will pay Smart an average of $13 million per season. He can also earn up to $1.55 million in bonus based on incentives built into the contract. 

"I want to thank President [Jere] Morehead, [athletic director] Josh Brooks and the Board of Directors for extending my contract at the University of Georgia," Smart said in a statement. "I continue to be grateful and humbled by our administration’s commitment to our football program. 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."

Kirby Smart is worth every penny. 

Smart has transformed Georgia into that pesky program that was always on the precipice of excellence under former coach Mark Richt into the most powerful program in the country. He was on the verge of a three-peat — something that hasn’t been done since Minnesota did it from 1934-36 — until the previously-undefeated Bulldogs fell to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Unfortunately for Smart and the Bulldogs, the landscape of the season evolved in a way that didn’t allow them to sneak into the four-team College Football Playoff.

ATHENS, GA - APRIL 13: Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach Kirby Smart during the G-Day Red and Black Spring Game on April 13, 2024, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. (Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

That shouldn’t change the perception of what the program is, though. It’s a dynasty. Well, maybe not technically since it doesn’t *actually* rule college football at the moment since Michigan won last season’s national title. However, national titles in 2021 and 2022, followed by an undefeated regular season in which it was clearly one of the best four teams in the country, is more than enough to secure the moniker as the best program in the country. 

Smart unseated Saban as the king of recruiting even before Saban hung up the headset, had eight players drafted in last week’s NFL draft and set the draft record with 15 players selected in the 2022 edition. 

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College football coaching salaries have exploded over the last 10 years. I’m old enough to remember when former Alabama coach Nick Saban’s $7 million annual contract was considered groundbreaking … and that was only 10 offseason ago. He was making just over $11 million last season, so it’s only natural that Smart continue to ride that financial wave as college football’s first $13 million man.

It’s what the market dictates.

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, who made $10,884,775 last season according to the USA Today coaching salary database, is the only other active coach in the country with multiple national titles. The only other coach with one is North Carolina’s Mack Brown ($5 million), who won it after the 2005 season with Texas. Ohio State’s Ryan Day ($10,271,250) and Michigan State’s Mel Tucker ($10,015,350) are the only other coaches who topped eight figures with their annual contracts.

Plus, Smart’s contract is good for the overall financial health of the University. The Athletic reported that Georgia had a total revenue of $203 million during the 2021-22 fiscal year — which included the College Football Playoff National Championship win over Alabama in January 2022. That’s a big jump from the $179 million it raked in prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Football success equals financial success, so a measly $13 million in Smart’s checking account is a drop in the bucket compared to what wins mean on the gridiron. You could even say that Smart is underpaid if he is able to get back to the peak of college football.