Kirby Smart close to contract extension with Georgia
Kirby Smart and Georgia are nearing agreement on a long-term contract extension. Those are words that everybody wearing red and black have expected to hear for quite some time – especially since the Bulldogs brought home the 2021 National Championship – but will celebrate nonetheless.
Smart has been on staff at Georgia since 2016 when he was hired as the university’s head football coach. His initial contract called for him to be paid $3.75 million per year for six years before a 2018 contract extension upped him to $7 million per year. That had him in the top five of College Football coaches then but not anymore.
“I think what we said is accurate. It will be commensurate with what you would expect compensation to be for a national championship coach, but we’re close to finalizing those arrangements,” University of Georgia president Jere Morehead told media after the meeting. “I don’t think anybody will be surprised.”
“It’s just going through the process, taking your time,” athletic director Josh Brooks added. “This is an important contract for him and for us. It’s just all little details. It’s just typical stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Both Morehead and Brooks said that they’ve been on the road with Smart this spring for university fundraising events, and conversations between them have been amicable. Both sides seem to know where things stand, but Morehead and Brooks have done most of the contract conversation and ironing out the details with Smart’s agent Jimmy Sexton, who represents several SEC coaches including Brian Kelly, Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher and Lane Kiffin – the four SEC coach who currently make more on an annual basis than Smart.
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Smart is entering the fifth season of a contract set to expire in 2024.
Smart not alone in being paid
Smart won’t be the only one on the Georgia athletic’s payroll getting a raise. Brooks, who is in his second year as the school’s athletic director, is also getting a “modest adjustment” to his contract but not a new deal.
“I don’t know that I want to characterize it. This is more about just recognizing that he’s had a great start and making a modest adjustment,” Morehead said. “We’re not at the point yet of doing a new contract. That probably comes in a year or so. But I think that what I want to signal and what our athletic board wants to signal is that for being the youngest AD in the Power Five, he’s gotten off to a sensational start, and we know that he’s got a bright and long future as athletic director at the University of Georgia. I think he’s doing a superb job in all respects. And I think what’s really important as well is that the student athletes have a great relationship with him. He has an ability to relate well not only to donors and our board members and the university community, but he’s built a really strong relationship with our student athletes which helps in recruiting and retention of student-athletes.”
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