The Richt contract extension: What’s the magic number?
Checking to see how many more seasons he has in his pocket. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
Georgia wants to keep Mark Richt and Richt wants to stay. What’s left are details. But details are important, contractually speaking.
Richt’s existing contract runs through 2013, so it isn’t as if he’s a free-agent-to-be. Presumably AD Greg McGarity will offer a raise and an extension, which brings us to the heart of those details. How many more years?
This is a concern not without nuance. Too short an extension sends one message; too long sends another. Here would seem the alternatives:
One more year: This wouldn’t so much be an extension as a very gentle pat on the back. It essentially would say, “We like what you did this season, but we want to see more.” Outsiders would interpret this as McGarity feeling the rise to 10-3 from 6-7 was less a function of coaching than scheduling. A one-year extension won’t happen because it would undercut Richt almost as much as no extension.
Two more years: This would push Richt’s deal through the 2015 season, which is a good ways off and, for recruiting purposes, would allow him to assure current recruits he has a measure of job security through their college careers. Unless, that is, they redshirt. And if they’re not good enough to plays as freshmen, who wants them? (Kidding!)
Three more years: This is the most-rumored extension, and it would make some sense. Five-year contracts are the industry standard. (Even Paul Hewitt had a five-year contract, the difference being that his never stopped being a five-year contract.) This would be a virtual mandate for Richt, but a virtual mandate might be overdoing it. Does one bounceback season override two lesser ones? Will a different schedule — Georgia is scheduled to play at South Carolina and Alabama next season, though speculation holds that SEC newbie Missouri will take the Tide’s place — yield a less desirable result? Is McGarity, who hasn’t negotiated with Richt before, prepared to make the statement: “This is the only coach we want or are ever going to want”?
Four more years or beyond: Too long for any coach, even one who has won his division four times in 11 seasons. Skeptics among us — and they still exist — would note that Richt hasn’t won the SEC since 2005 and has never taken his team to the BCS title game. (Got close a couple of times, though.)
Were I McGarity, I’d open with a two-year offer but count on settling for three. Richt is still a handsome commodity in an industry where big-name schools have been reduced to hiring the likes of Jim Mora (UCLA) and Charlie Weis (Kansas). There’s no reason to tick off such a bird in hand.
By opening with a two-year bid, McGarity would make the point that Georgia likes and supports this coach but wants him to consolidate the gains made in 2011 and have even bigger seasons soon. By settling for three, McGarity comes off as erring on the side of his coach, which is the side an AD needs to choose unless he’s about to fire him.
Georgia fans could and should be enthused by the developments of the past four months. A team that was losing almost every in-doubt game found ways to win 10 times running. That said, the Bulldogs did lose to the three best teams they played, and only one of those losses wound up being close. For as far as Georgia came in 2011, there’s still a ways to go.
The good news is that Georgia again has reason to believe Richt is the man to take it there. He deserves a reward. But a reward isn’t the same as a lifetime contract. The aforementioned Hewitt got one of those, and seven years later Georgia Tech had to pay dearly to make him go away.
By Mark Bradley
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561 comments Add your comment
DawginLex
December 15th, 2011
10:27 am
I still think LSU is better.
Just because you are a bama fan, you believe Bama will win.
I don’t
the game was close last time because of Jarrett Lee and he will be holding a clipboard this time.
johnbrickner
December 15th, 2011
10:27 am
Why keep him , he hasnt won a national champ. at uga unlike the other coaches at lsu,bama,auburn,flordia . Uga needs to get kriby smart from bama.
The rest of the SEC
December 15th, 2011
10:27 am
Common on McGarity. Richt deserves a lifetime contract. Lock him up for the long haul.
RedandBlackDAWG
December 15th, 2011
10:27 am
Flat Tire,
Coaching stability is very important to recruiting. In UGA’s case, it has been very important. A 3 year extension, tells the kids getting recruited that the AD has faith in the HC and makes it easier for them, since they all want to be in a stable situation. I hope they also extend with a raise, the DC’s contract. In Bobo’s case, I say leave it where it is at and see whether or not he can fully utilize the talent he will have to work with in the upcoming season. If he can, extend his contract and further stabilize coaching stability. If not, it is time to go hunting for a new OC.
Alphare
December 15th, 2011
10:28 am
RedandBlackDAWG,
your arguments about dawg’s loss to SC can be applied to BAMA’s loss to LSU.
Yeah, you can argument BAMA actually won that game too, and is thus the nation’s actual #1 team.
evil empire
December 15th, 2011
10:28 am
dawgs73, who did they beat? willie martinez would still have the dc job if you played that schedule every year…
DawginLex
December 15th, 2011
10:30 am
Why is it silly to say Bama won’t beat LSU?
LSU already beat them.
Bama gets a mulligan
Must be fun to play golf in alabama
LSU won’t play Lee this time.
Even if Bama wins, split tile and BCS remains a joke.
LSU has proven itself already and should not even have to play this game.
old dog
December 15th, 2011
10:30 am
McGarity has already had a little impact; henceforth we will recruit tailbacks who can fall off a log in a lake and find water! It takes a team to build a team, and McGarity may be the answer. Keith Marshall is proof of that. Not all ball players have to be brains, but thugs need to get left behind, and unfortunately there has been more than one instance where EVERYBODY knew we were bringing in a problem child! Hopefully McGarity keeps that pressure on enough so we can be competitive, always looking to improve, and be a destination for quality players. Nobody will get it right all the time, but our dismal efforts at recruiting running backs who (some, not all) can’t act like they have any sense at all was just one thing that needed attantion. O-linemen, etc. will need to be addressed, too. And, we gotta keep Grantham; he is getting us on the verge of being a cream of the crop defense. Bobo took some blame, sure, but you gotta protect your QB in crunch time (o-linemen) and you gotta run hard (Crowell) and you gotta catch the ball, etc. I may be in the minority, but Bobo may have gotten a little bad rap for a lack of effort and execution by the players sometimes…which goes back to some of the assistant coaches/recruiters, etc. Again, since this is his responsibility he will take the heat, so we may need to get him to look at some (not all;some) of his folks! No running game (except against patsies) will keep you down in the SEC, and we gotta have run blocking AND tailbacks who can stick their head in there!
LHarding Dawg
December 15th, 2011
10:31 am
If Bama wins, there should be a 3rd. game. Best 2 out of 3.
Alphare
December 15th, 2011
10:31 am
dawgs73,
dawgs have to improve to top 5 in defense, Boise have been staying on the very top offensively for the last 5 years.
Yes, I’d say Boise are more phenomenal in offense.
The key is simple
December 15th, 2011
10:33 am
Coach Granthom is THE REASON that UGA won 10. Outback Bowl is a very nice venue and according to Fox Sports News, they ranked it just behind the Cotton and Capital One Bowl and the other three biggies …………….Rose, Sugar and Urange Bowl. Not bad place to be. It sure beats ducking from stray bullets in El Paso, fired from Juarez, just over the border.
No, Granthom and Granthom alone and his scheme and his fire are what made UGA a better looking team and frankly, next year, UGA could really win the SEC outright.
Granthom needs to be given a two year extension AND double his pay. Without Granthom and with Richt …………………..UGA will sink back to 7-4 type of squads. Football is FIRE in the belly and playing intelligently and Granthom brought that to UGA. Richt is just not a firebrand and does not covey a sense of urgency.
Go Dogs
UGA class of 71 & 73
Flo- Ri- Duh
December 15th, 2011
10:34 am
Richt will be offered 3 years and will accept it. His next two years he will be paid what is already in his contract and then he will get a raise based on his record in 2012 & 2013. He will also have incentives for winning the SEC etc. I notice that Auburn is losing both their OC and DC and this will effect recruiting. Also, S. Carolina’s DC is interviewing for head coaching position. This will be a good time for UGA to go back to committed recruits to these schools and see if they will change their mind and come to UGA. What ever Richt’s contract terms are for, Grantham should be extended to coincide with the same length of time – plus a raise. Keep Bobo and Garner and add on ONE more year.
DawginLex
December 15th, 2011
10:34 am
Alphare makes fun of west coast, out of the limelight football like Boise and TCU etc.
What was the score of the 2009 Sugar Bowl?
Dogs Smell
December 15th, 2011
10:35 am
the rise to 10-3 from 6-7 was less a function of coaching than scheduling. That could not be more true. For all of the Homers who chose to brag aboutthe record this season , reflect on the level of talent you played VS those you played who beat you, soundly!
Alphare
December 15th, 2011
10:35 am
Lex,
BCS is about a 2-team playoff system. If you win in the playoff, you are the champ. Just ask last year’s Packers.
Falcons beat them in the regular season, lost to them in the playoff. They were the 2010 champ.
DawginLex
December 15th, 2011
10:36 am
This is not the NFL
From collegefootballnews to ESPN everyone acknowledges this re-match should not happen. LSU is the best team in the country and has proven it on the field
Afterall, Bama won 7 of its 13 national title before the bowls were played right?
Be careful how you argue this.
DC
December 15th, 2011
10:38 am
3 year ext seems about right…but I don’t think he will see the end of that contract. I’m going to ignore all the AU bait and stay on topic hah..
sapelodawg
December 15th, 2011
10:38 am
Everyone says CMR is a “Good Man”. Well CMR made the public statement that he had never been offered, nor contacted about any coaching position and went further by stating Texas A & M specifically.
Later publications confirmed 2that CMR was one of the finalist for the Texas A&M job, and if fact had been spotted on Wednesday at the airport there.
What is the normal extension for a “Good Man that lies thru his teeth”.
AltamahaDawg
December 15th, 2011
10:39 am
I think the contract stuff is way too often talked about in term of “rewards”, or “mandates”. To me it’s much more of a question of what is the standard in term of having a Football coach on contract in the SEC.
Either you want the guy, or you don’t. I am positive McGarity is not going to declare that he has full confidence in Mark Richt to accomplish all of the goals of the program, BUT then put out a contract that says he doubts his own decisions.
Dawgs 73
December 15th, 2011
10:39 am
Alphare – You are taking one scenario out of the whole season in relation to the overall improvement that UGA made on d.
We can go back and forth like little children about this and that, but STATISTICALLY & FACTUALLY, UGA was much improved…and yes, phenomenal.
Rooster
December 15th, 2011
10:39 am
Keep him in Athens for the next 40 years. That way I can see UGA get blowed out by better teams every year. What a joke.
Johnny
December 15th, 2011
10:40 am
Wal Mart or retard extension?
Losers
LHarding Dawg
December 15th, 2011
10:40 am
sap – That’s pure BS!
Dawgs 73
December 15th, 2011
10:41 am
evil empire – While I agree with you 100% that UGA’s schedule was ridiculously easy, I can’t sign off with you on the Willie Martinez comment.
Dogs Smell
December 15th, 2011
10:42 am
DawginLex,
That was an ignorant point concerning bowl games. Bama was concsensus #1. How many has Uga won under the same circumstances ? Here is something to be careful of and that is comparing football history of uga to most SEC schools.
UGA Insider
December 15th, 2011
10:42 am
I keep hearing that McGarity wants a new OC and Richt is not budging. Could get interesting. I hear Bobo moving to an assistand HC position in charge of recruiting and QB’s. Could go out and get a proven OC.
WDE
December 15th, 2011
10:43 am
@Alphare why don’t you give Bama the SEC title true they didn’t win or play for it but hey they are Bama so its all good.
AltamahaDawg
December 15th, 2011
10:43 am
Scheduling ALWAY plays a part in EVERYBODIES record, but to say that coaching had nothing to do with 6-7 to 10-2 is clearly not an honest argument.
Simple test. This year’s schedule with no changes from last years “coaching”? 10-2? no. Obviously some changes were made.
JMac1220
December 15th, 2011
10:43 am
There is no doubt that 10 wins in a row was alot more a by-product of an exceptionally easy schedule than it was coaching or anything else. 9 of the 10 were having off seasons or were just plain bad, while the 10th (GT) was a better team than last season. In fact, I believe that even GT would have won 9 or 10 games with the same schedule, losing to the same 2, plus UGA.
Alphare
December 15th, 2011
10:44 am
Yes, this is not NFL. This is BCS.
BCS picks the 2 best teams to play in BCS Championship Game(it actual has this formal name). This is the intention for BCS and that’s what they have been practicing.
It seems to me you have a hard time understanding BCS. Back in the days lots of people gave lots of thoughts about how to pick a national champ (remember?). What they came up with is the BCS system: 2 best teams fight for the champ title, which basically means a 2-team playoff.
This year the 2 best teams are LSU and BAMA. So they are in the 2-team playoff. The winner will be the champ.
All other BCS games are just a show. That’s why BSU was not even picked by any BCS bowl despite their high ranking.
Dogs Smell
December 15th, 2011
10:45 am
Dawgs 73 ,Really? They finished just how they started. Losing to better teams. Those in between were a part of the easiest SEC schedule of all SEC teams. Hell Tennessee beat a ranked team this season.
DawginLex
December 15th, 2011
10:45 am
dogs smell
Ignorant point?
Go back and look and see how many national titles Alabama was awarded before the bowls and then went out and lost the bowl game.
JB
December 15th, 2011
10:45 am
My two cents. take it out to 5 years…Take a look at Florida,Tenn and now even Auburn, And I’m proud daily to have Mark as our coach( And yes, I’ve had a change heart). Even the folks at Bama know that Saban is one rich crazy man away from Saban calling Bekins Van Lines. I know he( Mark) has some weakness, But he’s got a whole lot of up side. And with McGarity VERY involved in the football program now, the ‘hints’ he has given Mark are starting to pay off. We are not where we need to be, but we are far better off than 2 years ago. We can only play who’s on our schedule, and next year with the team coming back, 11-1 is not out of the question. Think Florida or Auburn or Tenn would take that right now?
DawginLex
December 15th, 2011
10:47 am
YOU say these are the 2 best teams
I say LSU is the best based on their season and already beating YOU, Oregon, Arkansas, West Virginia and Georgia.
Without a playoff, no one knows who the best teams are.
No one expected lowly Utah to wax Bama in the Sugar Bowl did they?
WDE
December 15th, 2011
10:48 am
@sapelodawg listen troll if you think we take a A&M unnamed “insiders” report over CMR’s word you have lost your mind. And that is all I have to say about that…
JB
December 15th, 2011
10:51 am
Insider, Mark has Bobo at OC because he’s just an extension of him with NO resistance. Bringing in a new ( qualified) OC with a resume worthy of big money and NEW ideas and tweaking the offense is something Richt doesn’t want. That old faded FSU 25 year old leather binder with Bobby Bowden’s ACC offense is just fine for Mark…..and that’s the Gospel…….
funny...
December 15th, 2011
10:52 am
would the people who using the “he’s good man” excuse just come out and say they’re just happy he’s white and christian.
it’s like veiled bigotry.
Alphare
December 15th, 2011
10:52 am
Lex,
“Go back and look and see how many national titles Alabama was awarded before the bowls and then went out and lost the bowl game.”
I guess you are too young about the whole bowl game history. Back in the old days, bowl games are show games, a reward for a great season. Most polls were done before the bowl games, because bowl games were not taken as seriously as today.
Dawgs 73
December 15th, 2011
10:53 am
Dogs Smell – Your name pretty sums up your whole arguement. If you are a Vols fan, then why the he!! are you on UGA blog?
Anyway, I agree with how “soft” UGA’s schedule was this year and that the result probably would have been different against stiffer competition. BTW – UGA did beat two ranked opponents this year at the time they played them…Auburn & GT.
lifeDawg
December 15th, 2011
10:53 am
To quote “2010 BCS CHAMPS”: “I say give him 20 years. I mean, wow, that awesome UGA squad beat a whopping 10 teams in a row. I mean, no one can do that, right?”
I gather he means he’s Auburn, regardless of how tainted and smelley their 2010 BCS Championship is. Richt has won five of the last six games against Auburn. I say extend him another 20 also. Auburn is a tired, tired tale of being second fiddle to everybody, unless they can buy off the dealer, which they been pretty good at over the last 50 years.
AltamahaDawg
December 15th, 2011
10:55 am
No, I think Richt will give the newly tweeked offense at least 2 yrs before deciding if he needs to go a different direction. It’s pretty obvious it was very good this year, laking some personnel, which hopefully we have addressed.
And No McGarity is not getting involved in that.
Columbus Dawg
December 15th, 2011
10:55 am
Enter your comments here
DawginLex
December 15th, 2011
10:56 am
alphare
you know as well as I do that half of those 13 national titles are not legit.
MIdtown Dawg
December 15th, 2011
10:56 am
Well, I am glad Mark Bradley is not handling the negotiation strategy because he is looking to win a distributive negotiation not an aligned negotiation. It is not about starting points, it is about what is in the best interest of UGA and I believe this is how McGarity will handle it.
Alphare
December 15th, 2011
10:58 am
Lex,
I don’t dispute LSU is the best team now.
But remember, BCS rules say LSU have yet to play one more game to crown themselves. That extra game involves the 2nd best team in the nation, which happens to be Alabama as recognized by most voters.
Sorry, you cannot crown yourself before you finish the whole schedule. That’s the rule. Rule counts in my book.
DawginLex
December 15th, 2011
10:59 am
good luck but don’t be surprised when LSU wins because Jefferson will play the entire game this time
GTBob
December 15th, 2011
11:01 am
Lets see. In the past 4 years Richt is 2-13 against ranked teams. 12-17 against teams with a winning record. He is the only coach in the top 5 in recruiting in the past 10 years to not win (or even play for) a national championship. His team consistently has character issues and even won a fulmer cup. Yeah, give the guy a raise and an extension. He has obviously earned it.
LHarding Dawg
December 15th, 2011
11:03 am
GTBob – Your spot on with the extension. He has earned it by beating Tech and Auburn like a drum.
WDE
December 15th, 2011
11:04 am
funny…your the only racist around at the moment..admit it and get help.
CANVAS
December 15th, 2011
11:05 am
The fact that there are 3 pages full of haters on here makes me realize that giving Richt a 3-5 year extension is the right thing to do.
Haters keep on hatin’.
Go Dawgs!