Alabama Football GM Has Record $825K Deal, Less Than Eight Tide Coaches

Alabama football’s general manager is resetting the market for his position. 

Courtney Morgan, who followed Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington, has agreed to a new three-year contract that will pay him $825,000 annually, according to 247Sports. Morgan’s initial contract, which was finalized in February, paid $500,000 annually, but overtures from USC prompted Alabama to redo his deal just six months into it. The deal is expected to be completed Tuesday afternoon, when the university’s compensation committee meets.

The deal is a record for a college GM, and roughly puts him as a top-tier position coach.  Morgan still makes less than some of the Tide’s position coaches, including running backs coach Robert Gillespie, defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist and offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, among others. All three position coaches make $875,000 annually, showing the priority GMs have become to college staffs, but also how far they have to go. Both of DeBoer’s coordinators are set to clear well over a million dollars this year, as are his receivers and defensive line coaches. All told, Morgan’s salary would rank ninth among Alabama football coaches, including DeBoer.

General manager is a relatively new position in college sports, which was created in light of the transfer portal and NIL (name, image, and likeness) taking over the industry. Duke men’s basketball set a precedent for the position when it hired Rachel Baker, who ran Nike’s grassroots circuit, as the first known GM in college sports. In July, Texas Tech signed its general manager James Blanchard to a new contract that pays $800,000 over two years, according to ESPN, which briefly gave him the highest-known front office salary in college sports before Morgan’s topped it. 

Before joining DeBoer at Washington, Morgan previously worked at Michigan, Fresno State, and San Jose State. He has helped the Tide maintain the high-level recruiting established under legendary coach Nick Saban, whom DeBoer replaced. The Tide currently have the nation’s second-ranked recruiting class, according to ESPN.