Kirby Smart was already locked in at Georgia for the long term. But the university is adding another two years to the football coach's deal to sweeten the pot.
Smart and the Bulldogs agreed to a two-year extension that carries a bump in annual salary and bonuses, The Athletic's Seth Emerson reported. The 47-year-old coach previously inked a lengthy contract with Georgia two years ago, but this new deal ensures he'll be in Athens for at least another decade.
Under Smart, Georgia has flourished into one of the best football programs in the country. The SEC powerhouse won the national championship in 2022 and 2023.
The Bulldogs went 13-1 this past season, with their only blemish being a loss to Alabama in the SEC title game. That knocked Georgia out of a chance at playing in the College Football Playoff.
In total, the Bulldogs are 94-16 under Smart, and he has helped 63 players get selected to the NFL.
"I’m sure you will agree with me that his leadership of our program has been tremendous," Georgia athletic director Josh Brook said. "This new contract is well deserved."
When Smart signed his 10-year contract with the university in 2022, it made him the highest-paid coach in college football. Since then, Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney signed deals that saw the coaches pass Smart in annual salary.
While Saban is now retired, taking him off the active coaches list, the revamped deal Smart signed with Georiga allows him to pass Swinney for the title of highest-paid college football coach. Swinney is set to make $11.5 million per year at Clemson.
Here is more about Smart's extension with the Bulldogs.
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Kirby Smart contract details
Smart signed a two-year extension with the university, keeping him inked to the Bulldogs program through December 2033.
In 2022, Georgia and Smart agreed to a 10-year contract extension that totaled $112.5 million. The team was fresh off winning the national championship, the program's first since 1980, at the time of the agreement.
His new deal carries a bump in pay, including a $1.75 million raise. He will now make $13 million per year, with bonuses up to $1.55 million.
A May 2022 report from The Athletic listed his former annual salary at roughly $7 million following the completion of the 2017 season (a year in which the Bulldogs were an overtime loss away in the CFP national title game vs. Alabama from winning the championship).
That same report listed Smart's salary as $4.5 million during that season, meaning Smart has received raises of $2.5 million and $3.25 million after the 2017 and 2021 seasons, respectively. That is bumped up following the 2023 campaign.
