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With both Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh out of the picture, the stage appears to be set for Georgia head coach Kirby Smart to claim the mantle of top head coach in college football. And if any other program wants to pry him out of the Peach State, they’ll have to pay a king’s ransom.
According to 247Sports Brad Crawford, Smart is currently college football’s highest-paid coach, averaging $13 million per year before bonuses. He recently signed a new contract which runs through the end of the 2033 college football season.
As for his buyout, Georgia have set it very close to nine digits at $92.6 million. A princely sum, but deserving of a two-time national champion and a winner of seven straight bowl games.
“Kirby Smart is college football’s highest-paid coach and deservedly so, given his results. Smart’s new contract extends through December 2033 and includes an annual salary pump of $1.75 million, which leaves Smart with $13 million per year with bonuses up to $1.55 million. Smart said this spring he never imagined a circumstance in which he would make $13 million as the head coach at Georgia before crediting the people who helped him reach this level in his career,” 247Sports’ Crawford wrote.
Unless Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is able to pick up right where Nick Saban left off, Smart appears in a prime position to dominate the entire SEC for the next few years at least.
And with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams next year, the Bulldogs could be the new superpower of college sports for the next decade or more.
So unless you’re ready to donate nearly $100 million to your favorite school’s athletic department, get ready for it.