Mike Bobo's pay raise comes with 3-year contract

Georgia coach Mark Richt confirmed Thursday that the $240,000-a-year raise Mike Bobo received this week also came with a three-year contract.

Bobo, the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator, recently received a salary increase to $575,000 per year, according to documents released to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.  Bobo was one of eight assistant football coaches to receive pay hikes after the Bulldogs' 12-2 season and top 5 finish last year. But Bobo joins defensive coordinator Todd Grantham as the only assistants with multi-year deals.

All the new salaries were recently approved by Athletic Director Greg McGarity upon the recommendation of Richt.

“I think he deserved a three-year deal because that’s really what’s happening out here in this league,” Richt said of Bobo, who has been his offensive coordinator since 2007. “HIs salary is very competitive with his peers and I think he’s earned that.”

Bobo is now fourth among the SEC’s offensive coordinators in compensation.

Richt also said offensive line Will Friend, who received a $90,000-a-year pay raise to $300,000 a year, was bestowed the additional title of “run game coordinator.” He and wide receivers coach Tony Ball, who got a $50,000 pay hike, were offered other jobs in the offseason.

All of Georgia’s other assistants received $25,000 raises and the Bulldogs hired Chris Wilson for $250,000 to coach defensive line.

“I think we’ve got a great staff and I want to keep them,” Richt said of the across-the-board increases. “It’s a very competitive league in a lot of areas. There’s the competition on the field, there’s the competition in recruiting and then sometimes there’s a competition to hang onto your assistant coaches. We were able to hang onto almost everybody.”

Georgia lost Rodney Garner, who was assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach, to Auburn shortly before Christmas. Garner had been with the Bulldogs for 15 years. Richt said he currently had no plans to utilize the titles of assistant head coach or recruiting coordinator.