Georgia signs Kirby Smart to new 7-year, $49M deal
Georgia signed head coach Kirby Smart a new seven-year contract worth $49 million Thursday, just a few months after he led the program to the national title game in his second season on the job.
Smart's new deal nearly doubles the average annual salary he was set to receive under his previous contract and makes him one of college football's highest-paid coaches. It also keeps the 42-year-old locked up through the 2024 season.
"I do not take lightly the awesome responsibility of leading this program, and while I'm pleased with where we are as a program, I couldn't be more excited about where we're going in the future," Smart said in a statement obtained by CBS Sports' Barrett Sallee. "You can rest assured that we will continue to work tirelessly to make Georgia football the best it can possibly be."
College football's $7 million club now consists of seven. All of them hit that mark just since 2016.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) May 3, 2018
Saban
Dabo
Meyer
Harbaugh
Jimbo
Kirby
Malzahn
Georgia went 13-2 under Smart last year, winning the SEC for the first time since 2005. Smart's Bulldogs fell to Alabama in overtime of a thrilling national championship bout.
In addition to his early success on the field, Smart has performed phenomenally on the recruiting trail. He compiled ESPN's top-ranked recruiting class for 2018, and the Bulldogs currently sit fourth on the list for 2019.