Georgia has been the best team in college football the last three seasons, and if they didn’t fall to Alabama in the SEC title game last season, there was a great chance the team would win back-to-back-to-back titles.
The loss to Alabama kept them out of the four-team College Football Playoff, but they look to bounce back this season in the new 12-team playoff, and they made a significant move on Thursday that will help them get there.
Georgia’s Kirby Smart Is A Diamond In The Rough
Kirby Smart became Georgia’s head football coach in the winter of 2016, leaving his position as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Since Smart stepped out to Georgia’s campus eight seasons ago, all he has done is win games and has a 94-16 overall record, winning two SEC titles, making three College Football Playoffs where he would advance to the title game in all three, and has won two championships in 2021 and 2022.The 48-year-old head coach has done wonders since being a Bulldog, and he cashed in a big payday on Thursday because of it.
Smart Gets Paid
According to Seth Emerson from The Athletic, Kirby Smart is getting a two-year contract extension, making him the highest-paid head coach in college football.
Emerson wrote on his social media account X, “Kirby Smart is receiving a two-year contract extension and a raise that will make him once again the highest-paid coach in college football. Two-year extension through Dec. 2023, $1.75 million raise. Annual salary now $13 million per year, with bonuses up to $1.55 million.”
News: Kirby Smart is receiving a two-year contract extension and a raise that will make him once again the highest-paid coach in college football.
Two year extension through Dec. 2023, $1.75 million raise. Annual salary now $13 million per year, with bonuses up to $1.55 million.
— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) May 2, 2024
Emerson also stated that athletic director Josh Brooks had received a payday, writing, “Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks is also receiving a new deal. Brooks gets one more year, so it now runs through 2030, for an annual salary of $1,275,000, increasing by $100,000 each year of the agreement. Plus bonuses of up to $200,000 each year.”
News: Kirby Smart is receiving a two-year contract extension and a raise that will make him once again the highest-paid coach in college football.
Two year extension through Dec. 2023, $1.75 million raise. Annual salary now $13 million per year, with bonuses up to $1.55 million.
— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) May 2, 2024
Kirby Smart Is The New Top Dog In College Football
When Alabama’s head coach, Nick Saban, retired earlier this year, Smart became the best coach in the sport. At this point, the only coach who could rival him is Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, who also has two titles but hasn’t made a playoff in the last years. Smart’s recent success on the field and in recruiting has made him the best in the sport, and now all other coaches will have to go through him.