Although Kirby Smart’s contract was not about to expire, the Georgia government wanted to ensure that he remained in Athens for as long as possible. Georgia granted Smart a two-year contract extension through December 2033 on Thursday, along with a $1.75 million pay increase.
As the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, Smart will now receive a salary of $13 million year. Josh Brooks, the athletic director of Georgia, also had his contract extended by one year, taking it until 2030. In Brooks’s contract, there was also an increase.
While the school’s athletic director is important, Smart is the man that Georgia can’t afford to lose and now won’t for nearly another decade. He first signed this contract after the 2021 National Championship, his first of two, and at the time he was the highest-paid coach in college football. His yearly salary had since been passed by Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban, but Smart is back on top.
In the years since signing the original contract, Smart has continued to dominate the sport, with another that culminated in a 63-3 Orange Bowl win over Florida State. Saban has since retired and Swinney, over that time, has gone 20-7 with a 4-4 record in ACC play last season.
Even in the short time since Smart last re-upped with Georgia, the job of a college football head coach has changed drastically. In the offseason, they’re now more akin to an NFL general manager, negotiating contracts but doing it in a free market.
