Kirby Smart got $390,000 raise for rejecting Dogs, staying at Alabama

The ripple effects of Georgia’s long, expensive search for a defensive coordinator continued today when a $390,000-per-year raise was approved for Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.

Smart, a former Georgia player, turned down the Bulldogs’  DC job four days before Todd Grantham was hired.

And today it became known how much it cost Alabama to keep Smart.

The compensation committee of the board of trustees of the University of Alabama System approved a new contract that will pay Smart a base salary of $750,000 per year -– more than double the $360,000 base salary he made last season. (Click here or here or here for more details from Alabama newspapers on the committee’s action.)

Smart is one of  three defensive coordinators to get hefty raises after declining Georgia’s overtures. Virginia Tech’s Bud Foster had an annuity added to his existing contract that will pay him an $800,000 lump sum if he remains with the Hokies for another five years. And LSU’s John Chavis received a $250,000-per-year raise to $700,000 per year.

Not coincidentally, Smart’s new $750,000 salary is the same amount that Georgia offered him -– and the same amount that Georgia is paying Grantham.

So Smart and Grantham — at least for the moment — share the distinction of being the third highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football, behind only USC’s Monte Kiffin ($1.2 million base salary plus $300,000 bonus last year at Tennessee) and Will Muschamp ($900,000 at Texas).  Smart can surpass Grantham on the pay scale on March 1, when Smart will receive a $34,400 bonus if he’s still at Alabama. Grantham’s contract also includes a series of potential bonuses, but none are payable until after the 2010 season.

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140 comments Add your comment

DamnGoodDawg!

February 2nd, 2010
4:23 pm

Kirby ain’t smart. Lets see. Alabama/Saban low balled him to the tune of $350,000/year as long as they could. Georgia/Richt tried to do right by him and show him how much he was worth by offering him $750,000 up front. So what does he do? He says, OK Saban, you’ve been screwing me but I’ve gotten used to it. Now you’ve kissed me and I’m happy. You, dilbert!

dap01

February 2nd, 2010
4:24 pm

Can Kirby speak?

Nachos

February 2nd, 2010
4:25 pm

Glad to see the fleabags are out in full force trash talk mode. Where the hell were these LOSERS during the actual season? Enjoy off season losers, the only time you can run your mouths.

Nachos

February 2nd, 2010
4:28 pm

Richt Crushes Saban –

Richt 0 national championships

Saban 2 national championships

THE END
bye

Todd Grantham

February 2nd, 2010
4:41 pm

Georgia is much better off with me considering Kirby isn’t even the primary coach for the Alabama defense. That position belongs to ole Saint Nick and Kirby is just a puppet. Congrats on your raise that we gave you and hope to see y’all in the SEC championship this year with a whole new attitude!

.

February 2nd, 2010
4:48 pm

Nachos: give me gas

Saban's a Wannabe

February 2nd, 2010
5:01 pm

Nick Saban loses a LOT more than Mark Richt.

He has more BAD years, like Meyer than Mark Richt.

Saban went 7-6 with Bama what 2 or 3 years ago.

Richt’s never had a 7-6 year.

Richt deserved the Natl Champ in 2002 & 2007, media bias doesn’t change that.

AltamahaDawg

February 2nd, 2010
5:05 pm

Nacho to be fair, Saban won his first after coaching for 31 yrs. Richt has been at it about 24 so far. So if in 7 yrs he doesn’t win it (never mind already having 2 teams with good enough records to have done so), then we can say……….

Dawghater

February 2nd, 2010
5:10 pm

Saban’s Wannabe is now in a dream world. Saban took an LSU program and an Alabama program that did not win a Nat’l Championship for years before his arrival and turned both of them around in record time?

And I love the lame comment. Richt deserved a Nat’l Championhip in 02 & 07? “Deserved”, are you kidding me. You “EARN” and Nat’l Championship. Heck every UGA fan thinks GA should be National Champion every year anyway. Hey, the bright side is you were ranked #1 when the season started in 2008. How that work out?

UA Alum92

February 2nd, 2010
5:10 pm

Come on Wannabe…

Richt deserved NC’s in 2002 and 2007? Did either team go undefeated? Georgia didn’t beat Florida either year and didn’t even win the SEC East in 2007. Media bias can’t strap on a helmet.

Nachos Fan

February 2nd, 2010
5:16 pm

SHOCKER…..another article about Alabama in the AJC.

AKA….Alabama Journal Constitution

Nachos Fan

February 2nd, 2010
5:20 pm

Pretty soon Bama may start playing some of our home games in Athens at Sanford & Son Stadium aka Bryant Denny East.

We own that dump…..

UA Alum92

February 2nd, 2010
5:22 pm

Correction to my earlier post. I looked it up and the Dawgs did beat Florida in 2007. Your losses were to Tennessee and South Carolina.

#2 BAMA FAN

February 2nd, 2010
5:37 pm

Kirby Smart is worth every dollar he can get!! Great recruiter and very good dc!! Georgia got a good
dc so let the bs stop!! Kirby just likes Tuscaloosa better right now than Athens!! RTR

Todd Grantham

February 2nd, 2010
5:38 pm

Yea UA alum you fn idiot!

Todd Grantham

February 2nd, 2010
5:43 pm

How could you like anywhere in the state of Alabama other than Orange Beach?

Rivals Ranks UGA #6

February 2nd, 2010
5:46 pm

It’s simply unfair to compare a team like Auburn, with 29 places, to Georgia’s 17.

But, if you look at the Star Power Average, Georgia is ranked #6 at 3.47 average score per recruit.

http://uga.rivals.com/teamrank.asp?

Todd Grantham

February 2nd, 2010
5:52 pm

When is the last time UGA has had a losing season? I cannot remember and it’s probably not within my lifetime. What about Bama before Satan came along? Help me here Bama fans but I know it’s at least two and some awful years in between. So when you start this bs about how Georgia is in the gutter after one average season check your facts!

Scout Ranks UGA #6 in Recruiting Quality

February 2nd, 2010
5:54 pm

It’s simply unfair to compare 29 places that Auburn has with Georgia’s 17.

But Scout ranks the QUALITY of the 17 recruits as #6, average score of 3.61

And, the number of top 100 recruits has Georgia at #5, which is remarkable when you consinder that we are only talking about 17 spots.

Todd Grantham

February 2nd, 2010
6:02 pm

Nice loss to La Monroe a couple of years ago…..We will probably beat them by 40 this year

Saban's Not a Great Coach

February 2nd, 2010
6:32 pm

Saban’s Record.

Mich St: 6-5, 6-6, 7-5, 6-6, 9-2
LSU: 8-4, 10-3, 8-5, 13-1, 9-3
Miami: 9-7, 6-10
Bama: 7-6, 12-2, 14-0

Saban Career winning %: .690

Richt career winning %: .769

Chew on this Nacho

February 2nd, 2010
6:45 pm

2002 27UGA 25UA – Tuscaloosa
2003 37UGA 23UA- Athens
2007 26UGA 23UA-Tuscaloosa
2008 30UGA 41UA- Athens

Howl&Woof

February 2nd, 2010
7:09 pm

Dubose: “Kirbster” knew that if he accepted the Georgia job, he would have forfeited any chance of getting the Ala-damn-bama head Coaching position in the future. He would also have hurt his chances of getting the Georgia job if Richt was replaced in the future. (Coordinators are not usually hired to replace the Head Coaches they helped to fail.)

The pendulum is swinging…You might want to wait before betting your sanity on Bama’s return to royalty.

Saban's Not a Great Coach

February 2nd, 2010
7:35 pm

Let’s look at Richt’s 1st years vs. Saban 1st years:
Richt Saban
8-4 6-5
13-1 6-6
11-3 7-5
10-2 6-6
10-2 9-2
10-3 8-4
9-4 10-3
11-2 8-5
10-3 13-1

01HAWK

February 2nd, 2010
8:11 pm

SABAN………………………..2 NC

CMR……………………………0 NC

SABAN………………………..Forbes magazine states he is the most powerful coach in sports.

New York, NY (August 13, 2008) — On the cusp of the college football season, Forbes
identifies University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban as, “The Most Powerful Coach in
Sports”

Oh, by the way, BAMA picked up another 4 star today. Read and weep.

Offensive line recruit Arie Kouandjio set to sign with Alabama

By Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register
February 02, 2010, 5:23PM

(Photo courtesy of Rivals.com)On the eve of National Signing Day, Maryland offensive tackle Arie Kouandjio is spreading the word that he has committed to Alabama.

Kouandjio was scheduled to announce tomorrow morning, but told The Washington Post and Sports Illustrated.com that he committed this afternoon and will sign with the Crimson Tide.

“Alabama just felt like a good situation, like the right place to be,” Kouandjio told SI.com. “I liked everything about the school.”

A 6-foot-5, 315-pound tackle from powerhouse high school DeMatha, Kouandjio is rated as a four-star prospect on the five-star scale used by Rivals.com, which also has Kouandjio as the nation’s No. 117 overall recruit. He becomes the 26th expected addition to tomorrow’s 2010 signing class.

THEY CALL ALABAMA THE CRIMSON TIDE

THEY CALL UGA………………THE SEPTIC TANK, OR IS “THE SITUATION”

Tree

February 2nd, 2010
8:12 pm

I don’t think Kirby Smart will get a chance of HC at UGA, not after rejecting the DC job at UGA. I wish him well. It’s Saban defense anyway. He got the raise, but not the credits.

trey

February 2nd, 2010
8:14 pm

This isn’t news. You’re pulling up the rear Tucker.

But here’s something for the AJC to try to ferret out: Is CMR going to give pay raises to the rest of the staff. Namely does BOOBo get a pay raise from his 300K+ when the DC is making nearly 1M? Is CMR going to up his pay to keep this goof on the same pay scale par as the DC? He sure as hell isn’t worth $300K so if he gets a pay hike to $700+ to help keep his little feelies from getting hurt then only a Bug mashed on the windshield after a beat down by the dawgs will stink worse.

In case you forgot:
(( 30-24 ))
hahahahahahahahaha
Glad it still hurts soo bad

01HAWK

February 2nd, 2010
8:14 pm

Rivals Ranks UGA #6 ……………………………AND SLIPPING FAST

01HAWK

February 2nd, 2010
8:16 pm

HEAD TO HEAD……………………..BEAR BRYANT WAS BETTER THAN DOOLEY

SABAN BETTER THAN CMR

UGA will never have a better SEC Championship record nor NC record than BAMA

01HAWK

February 2nd, 2010
8:18 pm

UGA…………………….I believe you have a SITUATION going on there in SEPTICTANKVILLE.

ITS THE SITUATION

The SITUATION

February 2nd, 2010
8:18 pm

I believe UGA has a SITUATION going on there in SEPTICTANKVILLE, GA.

The SITAUTION IS…………………………YOU NEED A NEW HEAD BALL COACH

GroundDog Day

February 2nd, 2010
8:47 pm

01HAWK: Did you go to UA? No. Were a UA fan before this year? No. So STFU Tech goober, and go back to your dorm hole ya little freaking rat.

Louie

February 2nd, 2010
9:01 pm

Well, where do I start?
I tried to tell the num-mutts weeks ago when the hilarious search for a DC had all the mutters walking around with a boner that Chavis, Foster, Muschamp, Smart, etc-etc-etc- was a ploy for more MONEY
from their respectful employers, DID I NOT????????????
Little ol’ Louie was dead on.
Now, didn’t I TELL YOU THAT THE RECRUITING CLASS OF 2010 WAS GOING TO CRASH AND BURN?
Well, by gosh look what’s happening.

Get on me all you like. I tried to warn you fartknockers that these things were happening.

I’ll be around for a little while tonight.

Your thoughts are welcome.

STILL…

Louie

February 2nd, 2010
9:26 pm

Where you at jackhammer?

Louie

February 2nd, 2010
9:28 pm

Later mutt-maniacs.

allthisrunstogether

February 2nd, 2010
9:53 pm

Istillhaveaproblemwithmyspacebarstickingandcannotseemtogetitunstuck.doesanyoneknowhowtostopthisfromhappening?

UA Alum92

February 2nd, 2010
10:09 pm

For what it’s worth for those arguing Richt vs. Saban, the only numbers that should matter are records versus each other and number of National Championships. Coach Saban is 3-2 vs. Coach Richt and 2-0 in NC’s.

daddo

February 2nd, 2010
10:36 pm

Have any of you stupid dogs looked at the recruiting ranks today? Georgia: Help me, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up. You are now enjoying the recruiting success of a Mike Shula. If you guys can’t win with Top Five classes, I can’t imagine what you will do with the 16th best athletes in the country. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha……………………..

GT Metrosexual

February 3rd, 2010
7:41 am

Louie- Just letting you set yourself up, as usual. Go for it!

Justin

February 3rd, 2010
8:56 am

It’s payoff for remaining Saban’s bitch for one more season