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When Kirby Smart led his alma mater to its first football national championship since 1980, it was the crowning achievement for a coach who had worked his way up through the Nick Saban coaching tree.
Now, Smart has financially surpassed his mentor.
On Thursday, Smart signed a 10-year, $112.5 million contract with the Bulldogs, as first reported by ESPN’s Chris Low.
Low adds that the 46-year-old will make more than $10 million in the first year of the deal, which will eventually climb to over $12 million per year by its end.
The massive contract makes Smart the highest-paid football coach at a public school — and possibly the nation’s highest-paid overall.
The $112.5 million is the most ever given to a college football coach, and the $11.25 million per season exceeds the reported $10+ million salary Lincoln Riley is getting from USC (as a private school, USC is not required to disclose Riley’s contract).
Saban now likely ranks third among all coaches with his $9.75 million salary.
Smart’s new contract also tops another sizable investment Georgia recently made into its football program: a newly opened practice and training facility that cost $80 million.
