Putting Georgia football coach Kirby Smart’s $13 million annual pay into perspective
Kirby Smart’s first full-time coaching job paid him a salary of $8,000 and the use of a school car.
Much has changed since those days as Valdosta State defensive backs coach in 2000 to where Smart sits now as the highest paid coach in college athletics at age 48.
His total compensation now as Georgia football coach is $13 million a year in a contract that now runs through December 31, 2033 in changes approved last week.
The school clearly sees it as money well spent.
Smart has delivered two national championships, three College Football Playoff title game appearances, seven top 8 finished in a row and a 94-16 record entering his ninth season.
His $2.25 million increase in pay from $10.75 million is more than the total annual operating expenses of seven other Georgia sports programs including men’s and women’s tennis ($1.72 million and $1.95 million), men’s and women’s swimming ($1.58 million and $1.85 million), men’s and women’s golf ($1.12 million and $989,272) as well as volleyball ($1.95 million), according to the school’s fiscal year 2023 annual NCAA financial report. Georgia spends tens of millions annually that are not categorized as being specific to one team.
Smart would rank 15th among CEO pay in Georgia, according to a listing by the AFL-CIO for 2022 compensation. Ahead of him are leaders of Equifax, Southern Co., Coca Cola, United Parcel Service and AFLAC.
Smart’s pay is $1.620 million behind Home Depot CEO Ted Decker. He was already ahead of the $9.61 million of Delta CEO Edward Bastian made that year.
Smart's pay now puts him ahead of the pay listed for the CEOs of companies headquartered outside of Georgia such as the leaders of SoFi Technologies, Stifel Financial, US Foods Holding, Best Buy, Alcoa, Burlington Stores, Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Sherwin Williams, Progressive, Victoria’s Service and Keurig Dr. Pepper.
He’s in the same range as the leaders of Foot Locker, Avis Budget Inc. and Johnson & Johnson. The average pay for an S&P 500 company CEO in 2022 was $16.7 million, the AFL-CIO said.
Smart’s first season coaching in the SEC he was paid $97,000 a year as LSU defensive backs coach under Nick Saban in 2004.
“Kirby and I used to laugh and tease each other on who’s going to be the first person to have two commas in their salary,” former LSU assistant and now Cedar Shoals head football coach Leroy Ryals told the Athens Banner-Herald in 2018. “Of course, he beat me so bad. I mess him with him all the time, ‘Look, you’ve got two commas in your salary.’ You at least can buy me a hot dog now.”
Smart received a $115,000 salary in 2005 as Georgia running backs coach. Smart was making $1.5 million a year as Alabama defensive coordinator in 2015 when he was hired at Georgia and $3.75 million in his first two seasons at Georgia and that has more than tripled since then.
He is now being paid more than 13 times the annual salary of Georgia president Jere Morehead who is making $973,900, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Former Georgia football players earning more in the NFL in average salary per year include quarterback Matthew Stafford at $40 million a year and three players that Smart coached in offensive tackle Andrew Thomas at $23.5 million, linebacker Roquan Smith at $20 million and running back Nick Chubb at $14.85 million, according to Overthecap.com.
“Coach Smart's unprecedented success is the definition of excellence for all of college football,” Morehead said in a statement. “He has excited the Bulldog Nation about what is yet to come after winning two national championships.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: A look at Georgia football coach Kirby Smart's $13 million a year pay
