Kirby Smart Becomes Highest-Paid Coach in College Football

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is set to become the highest-paid coach in college football after officially receiving a two-year contract extension from the university. The extension will keep Smart at Georgia through the 2033 season and will see him earn a whopping $13 million in 2024.

This pay increase puts Smart ahead of Clemson’s Dabo Swinney as the highest-paid coach at a public university, according to USA Today’s database. While private school coaching salaries are not publicly available, it is safe to say that Smart now holds the title of the highest-paid coach in all of college football.

The landscape of college football coaching salaries is set to change drastically in 2024 with the departures of coaching legends Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh. Saban retired from his position at Alabama earlier this year, while Harbaugh left Michigan for a shot in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers. Both Saban and Harbaugh were consistently among the highest-paid coaches in college football.

Smart’s extension and raise come on the heels of a 10-year contract he signed with Georgia in 2022, which was set to pay him just over $10 million per season. With the recent departures and firings of other top-paid coaches, Smart now finds himself at the top of the salary rankings alongside Ohio State’s Ryan Day and LSU’s Brian Kelly.

Under Smart’s leadership, Georgia has won two national championships in three College Football Playoff title game appearances and has only lost 11 games over the past seven seasons. With his impressive track record and now his record-breaking salary, Smart is undoubtedly one of the most successful and highly compensated coaches in college football today.