Georgia's Kirby Smart to Make $13M per Year with New Contract; Highest-Paid HC in CFB

Kirby Smart is now college football's highest-paid head coach after agreeing to a new 10-year, $130 million deal that runs through 2033, per ESPN's Chris Low.

The new contract contains a two-year extension to Dec. 2033, a $1.75 million annual raise and $1.55 million in bonuses, per Seth Emerson of The Athletic. Smart's old contract, signed in 2021, was a 10-year deal totaling $112.5 million ($11.25 million per year on average).

With the new deal, Smith surpassed Clemson's Dabo Swinney ($11.5 million per year) as the highest-paid coach in the sport.

The 48-year-old Smart has been UGA's head coach since 2016. He's compiled a 94-16 record, three national championship game appearances (two wins) and six SEC East division titles along the way. Georgia has also finished no worse than seventh in the Associated Press poll in any season since 2017.

Last year's Georgia team went 13-1, ending the season with a 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. The Bulldogs have 42-2 over their past three seasons, with their only losses occurring to Alabama in the 2021 and 2023 SEC Championship Games.

Georgia should be a national powerhouse for the foreseeable future, too. The Bulldogs' class of 2024 is ranked first in the nation, per 247Sports, with a quintet of 5-star recruits and 19 4-star recruits heading to the team.

Four of the players were ranked in the top 25 overall on the 247Sports Composite list, including cornerback Ellis Robinson (No. 2) and linebacker Justin Williams (No. 5).

So it was an easy move to give Smart a raise and a contract extension with Georgia thriving right now. The Bulldogs, who landed first on ESPN's way-too-early 2024 rankings, open next season on Aug. 31 against Clemson.