University of Florida president Bernie Machen doesn't think Urban Meyer should be the SEC's third-highest paid football coach.
"He should be [the highest]," Machen told the Orlando Sentinel. "He's the best."
Meyer, who's led the Gators to two national titles the past three years, earns $3.49 million annually, according to a recent analysis of coaching contracts by the AJC.
That ranks below Alabama's Nick Saban ($3.9 million) and LSU's Les Miles ($3.75 million), but above Arkansas' Bobby Petrino ($2.85 million) and Georgia's Mark Richt ($2.8 million).
Meyer's contract could be adjusted within a month, Machen told the Sentinel. He did not seem worried about the perception of spending more on athletics in a time of university budget cuts.
The newspaper noted Florida recently installed video boards in The Swamp, a project hatched seven years ago.
"Especially in a dynamic business like athletics, you invest a lot of resources and time in something," Machen told the Sentinel. "It may not pay off for three or four or five years, but if you stop, then it's just going to slow you down.
"I really believe No. 1, we've got the best athletics program in the country."
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