ATHENS — Kirby Smart will make “only” $6.6 million in the first year of his new deal with Georgia, but he has the potential to make more than $7.5 million in the last.
That’s according to details of Smart’s new seven-year contract as Bulldogs coach, which were released by the University of Georgia on Friday in response to an open records’ request.
Smart’s original deal paid him $3.75 million annually. According to “first amendment” documents provided by the school Friday, the third-year coach’s base salary has been increased by $100,000 to $500,000 a year. He also will receive yearly incremental increases in his “media compensation” and his “equipment compensation” that will result in an additional $600,000 by the end of the 2024.
Smart also has the ability to earn as much as $925,000 in team performance bonuses each year. That includes $100,000 for playing in the SEC Championship Game, $225,000 for winning it, and $700,000 for winning the national championship. That’s the same as his previous agreement, which also calls for $50,000 for playing in the Birmingham or Independence Bowl, $75,000 for Tier 2 bowls such as the TaxSlayer or Outback, $100,000 for the Citrus Bowl and $175,000 for any of the College Football Playoff bowl games.
Smart’s amended deal also includes an interesting new clause that gives him access to for personal use. Paragraph 9 of new agreement stipulates that the athletic association will furnish “a light jet via Delta Jets or a comparable carrier service for Smart’s personal, non-business travel for a maximum of 25 hours of flight time per calendar year. What’s more, flight time not used in one year will carry over to the next.
Not including such fringe benefits, the average salary of Smart’s deal at Georgia works out to $7 million per season — or $49 million over seven years. That places him third in the SEC — tied with Auburn’s Gus Malzahn — and fifth in the nation. Alabama’s Nick Saban ($11.1 million) and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher ($7.5) are considered the league’s top-paid coaches.
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