McGarity opens contract extension talks with Richt; again denies A&M rumors
Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity met with football coach Mark Richt on Friday to formally open discussions about a contract extension.
McGarity said further talks will be held, perhaps next week, but that UGA and Richt are in agreement on the central point: “He wants to be our coach. We want him to be our coach.”
McGarity added: “There’s really no need to speed through anything right now because he and I are in a good place.”
Richt has two years left on his existing contract, but his job appeared in peril when the Bulldogs opened this season with back-to-back losses to Boise State and South Carolina. A 10-game winning streak and SEC East championship removed Richt from the much-discussed “hot seat” and all but ensured a contract extension.
The McGarity-Richt meeting came on the morning after rumors and reports surfaced that Texas A&M was targeting Richt for its coaching opening. McGarity said the timing of the meeting was unrelated to that speculation, in which he said he put no credence.
McGarity said Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne had not contacted him and would have done so if he were pursuing Richt.
“You don’t waste your time on [rumors] that have no legs,” said McGarity, who added that he has no doubt Richt will be the Bulldogs’ coach next season and beyond.
“We just know Mark is going to be our ‘ball coach,” McGarity said.
Friday morning’s meeting, held in McGarity’s office, was the athletic director’s first with Richt regarding a contract extension. The two had planned since last week to meet at some point late this week, McGarity said.
“This is the first time we’ve had a chance to get together and start discussing the process,” McGarity said. “You sit down when things are calm, talk through things on his list, things on your list, soak that information in.
“I need to review certain things with [UGA president Michael Adams] and review some ideas and thoughts I may have now that we have had a discussion, and at some point in time we can get back together. . . . We are moving forward on discussions on the future.”
McGarity would not disclose details such as potential contract parameters.
“We discussed several things, but I’m not ready to say what those things are,” McGarity said.
Richt’s contract, most recently amended in 2008, is a complicated document. Variables to be discussed could include how many years are added to the deal, whether Richt gets a raise from his current income of about $3 million annually and how provisions such as buyouts would be affected.
Richt didn’t publicly address the contract-extension matter or the Texas A&M speculation on Friday. He also didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Richt has said frequently over the years, including as recently as last week, that he wants to complete his coaching career at Georgia.
“It’s too hard emotionally for me to recruit guys and look them in the eye and say, ‘I’m going to be your coach,’ and knowing deep down, maybe, if something better comes along I’m leaving,” Richt said last week. “I just didn’t ever want to operate that way.
“So Georgia’s my home and my family’s home.”
McGarity noted that Richt has a busy schedule this weekend, with many recruits visiting campus.
“I’m sure we’ll meet a couple other times after he gets through this weekend and things settle down,” McGarity said.
McGarity said Texas A&M was not mentioned in his meeting with Richt on Friday or in his trip to Tampa with Richt on Thursday for an Outback Bowl contract-signing party.
“I didn’t even ask,” McGarity said.”He’d tell me [if anything were going on]. . . . Nothing came up other than Georgia.”
Richt, Georgia’s coach since 2001, has a 106-37 record with the Bulldogs. His team reached the SEC Championship game this season for the fourth time, the first time since 2005.
The Bulldogs’ 10-3 record this year followed their two worst seasons under Richt, 8-5 in 2009 and 6-7 in 2010.
McGarity said discussions about possible changes in the contracts of Richt’s assistant coaches will come later.
— Tim Tucker
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
685 comments Add your comment
indianman
December 9th, 2011
3:19 pm
your leave richt alone and let do his job
SSIgator
December 9th, 2011
3:20 pm
GTBob -
Of course it was. They lost all of the games that really mattered in 2008. That is the way UGA measures success. As long as you win ten games, nothing else matters.
DawgBones
December 9th, 2011
3:20 pm
UGA IS THE BEST UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD!
GTBob
December 9th, 2011
3:21 pm
GT bob: You think a 8-4 season = success? BTW, you will end up 8-5
We were picked by a lot of experts to have less then 6 wins. So 8-4 isn’t too bad. I wouldn’t say success, but given the team we had this year we certainly overachieved a bit. I don’t really care whether we end up 8-5 or 9-4.
Kerryb
December 9th, 2011
3:22 pm
SSIgator, If you’re really a Gator fan (which I doubt) you have to realize that very soon you will be happy to win 10 games in a season. What a train wreck.
Bad Dawg
December 9th, 2011
3:22 pm
Who cares about ten win seasons 7 out of 11 years if you do not have much to show for it. I think some dawg fans are the problem because they seem more and more comfortable with accepting mediocrity. I have seen our fans brag about some of the worst teams I have ever seen in college football [i.e. Florida, Georgia Tech (seriously?), etc]. Should we not expect to beat Georgia Tech? Should we not expect to win national championships with the resources available in the state of Georgia? Should we sit back and compare meaningless statistics with other fan bases who have won one or more national championships in the last 10-15 years or should we realize that UGA has not won a national championship in 31 years. The talk about winning the national championship “next year” is downright embarrassing as a future UGA alum. I hope the extension is no more than 2 years and with the schedule looking favorable again next year I would like to think that Mark Richt and staff would seize this wonderful opportunity and make dawg nation have something to brag about other than beating Ga Tech or other nobodies.
Bungholio Boys
December 9th, 2011
3:22 pm
SSIgator and GTBob = seperated at birth!
DawgBones
December 9th, 2011
3:22 pm
UF is a sinking ship and it is great to watch.
KB
December 9th, 2011
3:24 pm
GTBob , Considering the number of injuries , yes. By the ends of the season 18 scholarship players and 6 others out with season ending injuries.
Nom Nom Nom Chucks Taylor, or Norris if he is avaliable
December 9th, 2011
3:24 pm
@Bad Dawg….speak on brother.
dawg fans = cubs fans
December 9th, 2011
3:24 pm
let the offseason unicorns and rainbows run rampant…..
baseball season is just around the corner so you cubs fans can soon start talking about how theo is gonna take you to the promised land.
Bungholio Boys
December 9th, 2011
3:25 pm
SSIgator University – Where the men are men and sheep are nervous! Go Gaytors, rah rah….. big boy
Dontavius Supremo
December 9th, 2011
3:25 pm
Anyone who oppposes mark Rick as coach at UGA doesn’t know a football from a potato. Go back to sleep.
SSIgator
December 9th, 2011
3:25 pm
Bad Dawg -
Uh oh. Another UGA fan speaking the truth. Many more like this and the KoolAid Club will call it a day and head for the bar.
DawgBones
December 9th, 2011
3:26 pm
GT: just make the move young man and become a DAWG like your inner child wants.
JB
December 9th, 2011
3:27 pm
The only way to get cheating out of college football is if the NCAA hands your team sanctions, your contract is cut in half and you have to finish it out. If you elect to leave, you have to sit out of coaching until current contract expires.
Coach Ray Goff
December 9th, 2011
3:27 pm
DawgBones
December 9th, 2011
3:20 pm
UGA IS THE BEST UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD!
In the world? I’ve known many homers, but, man, that’s just stupid.
Preston
December 9th, 2011
3:27 pm
GTBob, I would love to hear why tech can’t get the talent. PLEASE don’t give us the same old academic BS. You guys have “custodial” engineering and other BS degrees that a lot of your players take so they can play. Why don’t you admit that it’s because your campus is in a area where muggings and robberies are common and your stadium looks exactly like Lovejoy High School. Sorry Lovejoy.
DawginLex
December 9th, 2011
3:27 pm
Muschamp won’t be a head coach in 2013
Have a good weekend boys and girls(SSI)
UGA Insider
December 9th, 2011
3:27 pm
If the Richt/A&M rumors were true then my sources inside the program would be plotting the next move… which is Chris Peterson. CP wants this UGA job badly and would leave Boise and the Big East in a second. Smart basically has the job with A & M and I think the Richt rumors have been leaked by CMR’s agent. They were leaked to initiate extension talks and it has worked. I told you this would happen two weeks ago. It was done in October by Grantham’s camp but the agent did a poor job of timing. He said NFL teams were calling….Now who in the NFL is making plans for 2012 in early October 2011??? Nobody…… so McGarity didn’t bite on that one. If I were Grantham I would fire that agent because he screwed up. It’s a dirty business but life Leftover Salmon says “Timing is everything”…
Bad Dawg
December 9th, 2011
3:28 pm
Kerry B, Did you just seriously try and slant the statistics and make it look like you can compare Mark Richt with Nick Saban? Unbelievable. I guess the new standard is “win ten and your in”.
SSIgator
December 9th, 2011
3:28 pm
dawg fans = cubs fans -
That is one of the few things posted here today that actually makes sense.
DawgBones
December 9th, 2011
3:28 pm
SSIgator: you are really making all the UF fans look like sheep. BTW, you moms meatloaf suks!
DawgBones
December 9th, 2011
3:30 pm
Muskrat and co. have not idea what they are doing.
Preston
December 9th, 2011
3:31 pm
I agree with Bad Dawg. UGA has EVERYTHING it needs to win it all. Facilities, alumni, etc. yet the fans are complacent with useless stats that seem comparable to the guys that ARE winning it all. There’s really no excuse. I do believe that CMR should get a two year extension and if he doesn’t win it all, time to change.
Coach Ray Goff
December 9th, 2011
3:31 pm
DawgBones
December 9th, 2011
3:30 pm
Muskrat and co. have not idea what they are doing.
Have not? Have too.
tell me again
December 9th, 2011
3:31 pm
GO GATOR – you’re delusional – the wheels are / HAVE fallen off in Gainesville – the coaches know it – the recruits know it…when Tebow left so did the franchise – you had a good run – enjoy the memories.
JB
December 9th, 2011
3:31 pm
Why do Gators have 2 open games not filled next year, 10/13 & 10/20? Looks like LSU and Dawgs only two tough games, save FSU?
TampaDawg
December 9th, 2011
3:32 pm
Coach Ray Goff
December 9th, 2011
3:09 pm
…you want our SOS to get better then improve your teams…
dumb and dumber
———————————————————–
You sure are. Schedules are made years in advance. Everyone thought MSU would improve from last year when they were a pretty decent team and that didn’t pan out. Auburn was, well, the NC last year .. lose a couple of key players (and I mean A COUPLE, like TWO) and they aren’t what they were last year.
GTBob
December 9th, 2011
3:32 pm
GTBob, I would love to hear why tech can’t get the talent
That has been argued so many times its a dead horse at this point. There are many reasons though. And no. Custodial Engineering is not a major at GT and no GT does not have very many majors to hide their athletes in.
DBAG TROLLS!!!!
December 9th, 2011
3:32 pm
Thanks to all the DAWG envy on here today! You know that you want to be a DAWG but we don’t need ya! GATA DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tulsadog
December 9th, 2011
3:33 pm
Do not, I repeat, do not extend Richt’s contract. He couldn’t coach my a$$ out of bubble wrap.
JB
December 9th, 2011
3:34 pm
Yep, Gators in trouble, they just won’t admit it…. not here anyway. Plenty of doubt on their message boards BTW
Percy Harvey
December 9th, 2011
3:34 pm
Man you Dawgs are gansta.
UF not looking so great
tell me again
December 9th, 2011
3:35 pm
You people who think that attaining the mythical / ESPN generated NC is some type of standard for assuring Richts’s job are nuts The media bias against UGA would keep us from getting to a title game even if we whipped everybody in sight. The last week of the season we would be ranked #1 and idle and after the other teams played we’d drop 5 spots and somebody else would gto – give the NC thing a rest. It is NOT a criteria for keeping a good coach. I believe we’ll get there with Richt.
Staff Changes??
December 9th, 2011
3:35 pm
Keep Coach Richt, Coach Grantham and get an OC to run the offense. Bobo isn’t cutting it as a SEC OC IMHO. Interesting that no one ever talks about him possibly leaving.
JB
December 9th, 2011
3:35 pm
10 of 11 don’t lie either….Which football is really the only things that counts.
UGA Insider
December 9th, 2011
3:36 pm
Go Gator,
Did you notice Meyer took your Strenth Coach and LB coach? 11 players have left as well since Muschamp arrived. Your schedule is easy next year but you will lose to LSU, UGA and USCe again.
Preston
December 9th, 2011
3:36 pm
And everyone claiming that UGA doesn’t get the media attention that they should get needs to get real! All UGA needs to do is win the big games and they DO get the attention. Did we not finish #2 in ‘07 after beating a horribly overhyped Hawai’i team? The Bulldog Nation needs to stop making excuses and hold the team, the coaching staff, and the athletic department responsible for not getting it done! Humans, by nature, will take the least path of resistance and if they think they can keep their jobs by doing just OK, then they will do just that.
GT puker
December 9th, 2011
3:37 pm
GT lies cheats and steals
YARDDAWG
December 9th, 2011
3:37 pm
Announce contract extensions for Richt and Grantham at the banquet – the room will erupt and athletees will line up to sign with UGA.
Coach Ray Goff
December 9th, 2011
3:37 pm
You sure are. Schedules are made years in advance. Everyone thought MSU would improve from last year when they were a pretty decent team and that didn’t pan out. Auburn was, well, the NC last year .. lose a couple of key players (and I mean A COUPLE, like TWO) and they aren’t what they were last year.
TampaDawg,
How stupid are you? All you are telling me is that someone asks for a weak SOS years in advance. Who expects New Mexico State and Coastal Carolina to boast SOS ranking?
TampaDawg
December 9th, 2011
3:38 pm
@The numbers don’t lie … wow, we have resorted to college basketball and college baseball. You really are a loser.
I love baseball, favorite sport actually, but even I will tell you at the college level, they get no love from the masses. College basketball? Dude, this blog thread is about COLLEGE FOOTBALL. If those other two make you feel better, fine have at it. But 1-10 will not go away any time soon.
YARDDAWG
December 9th, 2011
3:38 pm
Sorry, typing fast – athletes
tell me again
December 9th, 2011
3:39 pm
Wow – Tech wins one game in Athens in 25 years and they own us in basketball – I guess that means since they beat us one time out of 11 in football they run the state in that too! Let me think —- NOT! You Tech fans are hilarious – if you thinik anybody on THIS blog takes you seriously – well, you must have just escaped a mugging attack on North Ave. and you haven’t let the blood return to your brains yet after the sprint back to your dorm.
Coach Ray Goff
December 9th, 2011
3:41 pm
– if you thinik anybody on THIS blog takes you seriously –
I thinik I’m going to go peel the G off my car.
Percy Harvey
December 9th, 2011
3:41 pm
Mushchomp is not the answer and UF shoulda done some homework before they jumped in front of dem dawgs. Dang the dawgs don’t even need a new coach and here uf goes and hires him without interviewing anyone else. Maybe they can go hire kirdy next and really tank this shipp
tony
December 9th, 2011
3:41 pm
Are they sure McGarity is a GA boy?
Coach Ray Goff
December 9th, 2011
3:42 pm
Maybe they can go hire kirdy next and really tank this shipp
Shipps ahoy captain kirdy
Coach Ray Goff
December 9th, 2011
3:43 pm
tony
December 9th, 2011
3:41 pm
Are they sure McGarity is a GA boy?
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.