Raises coming for UGA football coaches Mark Richt, Todd Grantham
Georgia is expected to step up with more years and more money to keep Mark Richt and Todd Grantham together to lead the Bulldogs' football program.
ATHENS – The Georgia Athletic Association end-of-the-year board meeting is scheduled to get started tomorrow morning at the Ritz Carlton Lodge on Lake Oconee. Actually, current and emeritus members will gather there to socialize tonight, then commence with business first thing in the morning.
And I’m expecting a lot of business to be conducted. UGA so far has offered only a very vague agenda for the meeting, which lists things like “AD’s Report,” “New Projects” and “Financial Update” and the like. But the most important item of business isn’t spelled out there and we all know that it’s going to take place (likely during AD’s report).
Georgia is expected to finally reveal the details of football coach Mark Richt’s new five-year contract. Legal representatives for both Richt and the university have been dickering over the final form of the new deal for months, going back to the end of the regular season last December. We know from Georgia’s announcement back in January that Richt’s new deal takes him through the 2016 season, but little beyond that.
What we don’t know are the particulars such as how much of a raise, if any, Richt is to receive, and what the terms and conditions of any buy-out clauses might entail. Those are the truly important details. Georgia hasn’t shared any of that so far, despite numerous freedom of information requests for copies of any drafts or memos of understanding, which are subject to state open-records laws. AD Greg McGarity says all documents remain in the hands of the respective lawyers, and therefore remain protected, and that he’ll first share the details therein with the members of the board on Thursday.
My guess is that Richt will receive a modest pay increase to at least keep his place among SEC coaches. That is behind national championship holders such as Nick Saban ($5.32 million), Les Miles ($3.6), Gene Chizik ($3.5) and Steve Spurrier ($3.3), but get ahead of less experienced and less successful coaches such as Florida’s Will Muschamp ($3.2). Bobby Petrino was making $3.6 million at Arkansas but that little market adjustment he took care of himself.
Not including outside sources, Richt currently earns about $2.9 million annually in UGA-arranged income. Look for that to go up over $3 million. Longevity and performance bonuses allow Richt to earn much more than that. . . .
* * *
It’s unclear whether or not Todd Grantham’s new deal will be included in this week’s proceedings. The third-year defensive coordinator’s contract has also been agreed to in principle for quite some time. We know he’ll have a new three-year deal that will expire after the 2014 season. But he, too, is probably looking at a substantial pay increase.
This time last year, Grantham was the second-highest paid defensive coordinator in America at $752,000 a year. At the moment, he’s not even the second-highest paid DC in the SEC.
Alabama’s Kirby Smart got a raise to $950,000 a year, Brian VanGorder left the Atlanta Falcons and joined Auburn for $850,000 per year and Sal Sunseri got $800,000 to leave Alabama and become Tennessee’s defensive chief. Meanwhile, LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is awaiting approval from that school’s trustees that will pay him $900,000 this year and $1.1 and $1.3 million in the subsequent two years, an average of $1.1 million.
Based on that hierarchy, look for Grantham to fall in somewhere between $800,000 and $850,000 per year. Under his leadership this past season, the Bulldogs finished fifth in the nation in total defense (277.21 ypg). That was impressive, but Alabama, LSU and South Carolina were one, two and three in that category. Georgia was 23rd in points allowed, well behind those other teams.
More important for Georgia — or Georgia fans, as the case may be — is what Grantham’s buyout clause will look like. If it stays pretty much the same as his previous contract, which is UGA’s only multiyear deal for an assistant, Grantham would incur no penalty for leaving for a head coaching job or one as an NFL defensive coordinator. But he’ll likely have to pay Georgia for any remaining years to leave for what could be perceived as a lateral move.
* * *
The identity of Georgia’s new gymnastics coach is expected to be revealed, if not at the board meeting then sometime before the end of this week. It has been widely speculated that McGarity and senior associate Carla Williams have settled on Danna Durante, pending background checks. Durante is the current head coach at Cal and a reknowned balance beam expert. Durante, 39, has been head coach at Cal only one year. She was a longtime assistant at Nebraska and Washington before that and was a gymnast at Arizona State, earning a bunch of 10s on the balance beam.
Durante, if that’s indeed who it is, will have the unenviable task of following Jay Clark, who unceremoniously resigned a couple of weeks ago after three mostly disappointing years as head coach.
* * *
Other business expected to be conducted at the board meeting will be a vote to make substantial improvements at Foley Field, the Bulldogs’ baseball stadium. First and foremost, that facility needs an elevator up to the press box and other handicap-access accommodations. Georgia does, after all, have two former players who are in wheelchairs. And the stadium has been far surpassed in recent years by others in the SEC.
* * *
I’ve fielded a lot of questions lately about Georgia baseball coach David Perno and whether his future is in question. The Bulldogs are stumbling here at the end of the season. They face elimination against Auburn tonight in the SEC tournament, which would likely end any thought of an NCAA tournament bid. But Perno has led the Bulldogs to three of the school’s six College World Series appearances, got hit with some unfortunate injuries this season and his mother is not well.
All of which is to say I just don’t think UGA will take any action. But it’s doubtful Perno’s contract, currently set to expire after the 2014 season, will be extended. More than likely the Bulldogs will stand pat and look for improvement next season.
* * *
I expect there will be a good bid of bragging on UGA’s part about the athletic department’s accomplishments in 2011-12. The Bulldogs, as we learned Wednesday, finished second in the SEC’s all-sports competition, sponsored by Halifax Media Group. Florida, as one might suspect, finished first.
Highlighting the year for Georgia was an Eastern Division championship in football, an SEC title in women’s swimming and diving, an SEC tournament title by men’s tennis and several top fives across the board. Also, the 533 UGA student-athletes earned a cumulative GPA of 3.05 for the spring semester of 2012, including 17 with 4.0s and 133 with 3.50 or better. Women’s gymnastics led all sports with an overall GPA of 3.52.
* * *
At least that’s what I think. Tim Tucker, the AJC’s astute sports business reporter and part-time UGA beat guy, will cover the actual meetings while I report on the NCAA tennis tournament. But check back right here for updates all day Thursday. I’m sure even more news than I’ve mentioned here will come out.
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310 comments Add your comment
IT IS WHAT IT IS
May 23rd, 2012
4:44 pm
teachers sleep with the students!!!!!!!!!!!!! (fact)
Brad
May 23rd, 2012
4:52 pm
Ritz Carlton Lodge on Lake Ocone!!!!!!! Stop asking me for money UGA! Sounds like the Athletic Association can cover you.
BiggDawgK
May 23rd, 2012
4:55 pm
tide roll
I know you are a pathetic simpleton who must rely on a bunch of teenagers to provide you with even a sliver of self worth but I do enjoy laughing at you. If you can manage to sober up and even more improbably if you can find someone semi literate ask them to define irony to you. When and if you are able to find that person you will understand what makes you calling anyone else a redneck so hilarious.
Rampdawg
May 23rd, 2012
4:59 pm
Ol’ Tech Roll using the race card over and over. You sound just like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton
Two of the biggest racist in America and with you on board .
sprouse27
May 23rd, 2012
5:02 pm
I’d be excited next year if we had a new HC, especially if it was Kirby Smart. CMR is a nice guy, but getting 10 wins with that schedule and the resources he has at hand is not the biggest challenge out there. He’s not winning the SEC anytime soon, and now South Carolina (a team that doesn’t recruit nearly as well as UGA) is really the best team in the East. UGA is mid-tier team, but not a championship team and that’s that. You get above average mediocrity with CMR, and no Penn St scandals. If that’s enough, then that’s enough.
Chris
May 23rd, 2012
5:04 pm
I guess it’s good that we didn’t hear Bobo’s name in this article. How can you give a guy a raise that under performs year in and year out, and quite simply sucks as an O.C.? I know he has been given raises before and that is just nuts. The only kind of paper work he should receive starts with three simple words….YOU ARE FIRED.
joeybiten
May 23rd, 2012
5:06 pm
wonder when will hear from obuma how “unfair” this is that a coach can make this much money?
jr
May 23rd, 2012
5:10 pm
Grantham didn’t deserve a raise.
He played 4 good teams:
Boise, gave up 35 points
South Carolina, gave up 45 points
LSU, gave up 45 points
Mich St, gave up 33 points
Guess McGarity was impressed with his performance against teams like New Mexico State, wow, real impressive.
jr
May 23rd, 2012
5:12 pm
Against ranked teams, Grantham finished 11th or 12th in the SEC, pretty much LAST:
Points allowed
tackles for loss
sacks
fumbles recovered
GTBob
May 23rd, 2012
5:18 pm
Hey Bob, any Tech raises going out?..No?…that’s what I thought, now go bother someone else!
To be fair, I don’t think anyone on our staff deserves a raise either.
Response to jo and @jo
May 23rd, 2012
5:19 pm
jo wrote “Has Richt won anything of significance…..?” I am going out on a limb and assume you are not a fan of any SEC school to even ask a question like that. Winning the SEC is a BIG DEAL!. Outside of the men’s NCAA basketball championship, and the BCS football title, I think a case can be made that there is nothing more significant in college sports than winning an SEC football crown. It is astounding to me to constantly read this slander against SEC football on here regularly, and some are from supposedly SEC fans.
@jo wrote that women’s gymnastics has 6 titles, and that is the only winning thing out of UGA. You must have a different definition of winning than I do. First of all, you must be thinking of men’s tennis with the 6 NCAA titles. Someone has already corrected you about the 10 NCAA gymnastics championships. Secondly, UGA has won over 35 NCAA championships in multiple sports, men and women, making us one of the top overall athletic programs in the nation. Closing on 140 SEC titles.
GTBob
May 23rd, 2012
5:20 pm
GTBob-On fire enough to burn yall’s butt thats for sure. Your best team in ten years (though tainted and stripped of its title) failed to beat one of our worst.
If we would have won it would have been taken away. Turns out we were better off losing that year. And if you want to keep giving Mark Richt more money just for beating GT then more power to ya. We are honored that you consider it such an accomplishment.
To Sprouse 27
May 23rd, 2012
5:23 pm
Regarding UGA being a “mid-tier” team, you can go all time football records, or the Richt era, and you will find the Dogs are anything but “mid-tier” if words have any meaning. We had a little dip, as all programs do, but the ship has been righted. We are not a top ten program all time, but are in the next few teams.
Bob
May 23rd, 2012
5:33 pm
It’s always easy to spend other folk’s money…just ask congress or our athletic dept. Both seem to overpay for mediocrity.For $3M a year, we should beat Central Fla and Mich State.
chilidawg
May 23rd, 2012
5:36 pm
Can’t blame the ‘23rd in points allowed’ on Grantham. Most of those points should be pinned on the offense.
Props
May 23rd, 2012
5:37 pm
Grantham hasn’t beaten a team that finished in the top 25 in his 2 seasons at UGA.
A raise, really?
lil_bit1
May 23rd, 2012
5:39 pm
The players are the real ones who bring in the MONEY. No one went to any game to see Saban, Miles, or Richt. They paid to see the PLAYERS perform! Sure, their talent was slightly developed by instruction from a few coaches, but ultimately, its the players’ natural talent that fill the stands!
Alabama Communist
May 23rd, 2012
5:40 pm
Nothing like 1% Coaches getting a big fat raise and Golden Parachute benfits like the 1% Wall Street criminals when this nation is going down the tubes faster than a 99% scatback from South Georgia…………Reality does not exsist anymore among the 1%’er
Alabama Communist
May 23rd, 2012
5:40 pm
Nothing like 1% Coaches getting a big fat raise and Golden Parachute benfits like the 1% Wall Street criminals when this nation is going down the tubes faster than a 99% scatback from South Georgia…………Reality does not exsist anymore among the 1%’er
MXDog
May 23rd, 2012
5:46 pm
after another mediocre season, a blowout loss to lsu, a choke against mich state–the coaches get a “big raise”???? are you serious???
Joey
May 23rd, 2012
5:48 pm
“Georgia was 23rd in points allowed, well behind those other teams.”
**********************************
Come on, Chip, how many of those points were allowed by the special teams and were returns of Ints and fumbles?
Lots . . .
59bulldawg
May 23rd, 2012
6:05 pm
It’s takes more than minimum wage to get and keep a decent staff. Hey it’s a risky occupation. The greater the risk the greater the reward.
Festus
May 23rd, 2012
6:09 pm
UGA could have the same record for less money with Vince Dooley’s kid. It one thing to pay for prime rib and getting road kill. Get Bobby Petrino. He’ll at least have a kid who can play QB. Georgia is flatter than Arkansas so no bumps along the way.
TigerinGA
May 23rd, 2012
6:18 pm
That’s odd….most other SEC schools give raises based on performance yet UGA rewards mediocrity! LMAO
JFKDawg
May 23rd, 2012
6:25 pm
Most of the folks commenting on here probably haven’t stepped foot on the campus much less donated to the cause. I have done both for over 30 years and am glad Coach Richt is our head coach. You baffoons who site second place and no championships are truly moronic. I assume you do so just to stir the masses to provide comment after comment. Would you rather have a rat like Petrino representing you?
Chaz Henry
May 23rd, 2012
6:40 pm
Pay Grantham he does not choke.
Class of '98
May 23rd, 2012
6:46 pm
Focus on the Family, it is called “the law supply and demand”. You may have heard of it.
Not a fan? Move to Cuba.
59bulldawg
May 23rd, 2012
6:48 pm
Sure I think we still have room for improvement but overall Richt has run a successful program and represented the university well. It’s rare to find a man who will commit himself to a school like Richt has done, much less a man of his stature. With the raises though comes more pressure to win big and I think he understands that now … especially after the last few years. Time will tell though and if not I don’t think McGarity is afraid to make a move. I think there is un urgency to win now among all UGA coaches that hasn’t always been there and it’s what he learned under Foley at Florida. It’s sometimes better known as put out or get shoved out! And I don’t think that’s a bad way to run an athletic department.
bart
May 23rd, 2012
7:03 pm
I don’t get this. We’re rewarding mediocrity. Grantham may deserve a raise but none of the others do. Richt needs to prove he can beat good teams. We lost to the 4 teams last year who were pretty good. We were very average.
kingdaddy
May 23rd, 2012
7:15 pm
After UGA wins the SECe again and then follows that up with a win in the SEC-CG, then a shot at the N.C., these raises will seem like a bargin. If UGA flops, then get used to Crow-Pie. I personally think we got a bargin…
dan
May 23rd, 2012
7:18 pm
@Jason:
Great post! I 100% agree with all of it.
I think UGA and Auburn have a lot of parallels. The difference though is that Tuberville never had the support of the AD like Richt has here, hence the reason he got outted quicker. I think if UGA ever does win a National Title is will be one of those “flash in pan” kind of deals with a great athlete like Cam Newton being the bell cow and with a head coach like Gene Chizik who might have an above average win/loss record, but for 1 season knows how to put it all together. That’s what Vince Dooley did with Herschel Walker. You take Herschel out of the equation and Dooley averaged 8 wins per season.
dan
May 23rd, 2012
7:20 pm
59bulldawg
Also a good post.
Carlotta
May 23rd, 2012
7:26 pm
That’s just peachy keen wonderful. Muck Wretched gets five more lucrative years while the dawgs’ slide into oblivion continues. And we still have to watch the punk Grantham and his sleazy antics.
I think I’ll renew my Kool-Aid Flavor of the Month club membership.
TowDawg
May 23rd, 2012
7:42 pm
How in the hell has this story still not hit in the AJC? Maybe I just missed it?
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/matthew-stafford-spends-15-000-163555822.html
OBAMA
May 23rd, 2012
7:54 pm
I run this bitch, roll tide
James
May 23rd, 2012
8:15 pm
At a prestigious research university, the faculty bring in boatloads of money. Usually close to half of every grant goes into the university’s coffers. I used to work in a lab at GT that brought in 1 million in grants over 3 years; 500K went to the school. It is a very significant amount of money to the university.
At least at schools this size, teachers with the ability to bring in lots of money are sought after and competed for just like coaches.
SugarHillDawg
May 23rd, 2012
8:35 pm
Hey Chip, could you PLEASE find out what Richt’s buy out is?
St Simons - we're on Island time
May 23rd, 2012
8:39 pm
I hope Mark & Todd retire with us. They are good men.
Paddy
May 23rd, 2012
8:39 pm
Focus….your post was not very well thought out. A rather primary school response, if you ask me. You may neede to get out of the house some!
Go Dawgs
May 23rd, 2012
8:57 pm
Coach Grantham is all about GATA
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
May 23rd, 2012
9:16 pm
LOL
FLA DAWG
May 23rd, 2012
9:17 pm
DAWG NATION,
My kids attend a Catholic School here in South Florida and we are in second place in the country in a contest to win library resources. I am attaching the link and asking you all to vote everyday until June1.
There is no cost, no hidden agenda here. This is a nationwide school contest for library resources for the kids.
Here is the link and thanks in advance.
http://iframe.wizehive.com/voting/view/finding-god-video-contest/2087/529162/0
FLA DAWG,
Class of ‘79
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
May 23rd, 2012
9:18 pm
Glad to know Perno has to prove something to get a contract extension but our football coaches proved nothing and get a contract extensions
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
May 23rd, 2012
9:25 pm
Hey Perno you took us to a national title game won 2 SEC titles. you need to show something or else no contract;
Hey football coaches dont worry we have your back you can continue to lose the big games even though you put more players in the NFL with no results
Tough talk Mcgarity…. yea…… sure
Mobile Dawg
May 23rd, 2012
9:32 pm
Gary, I really didn’t need a reminder, but, thanks anyway for establishing the fact that entitlement still exists.
My thoughts exactly Flat. I hope Richt shines like the beacon in a lighthouse, I will eat crow until the cows come home, but, I just don’t think the man’s got what it takes to coach championship football. He can’t build and run an organization, and he’s soft.
I’m listening to the radio today and am hearing Alabama has “three” of their starting five OL picked as “All Americans”, first team. Richt just doesn’t seem to get that “championships” are won at the line of scrimage, or at least he can’t recruit that position on the offensive side of the ball.
George
May 23rd, 2012
9:37 pm
Yeah . Hope Coach R signs on for 10 more years . Good guy. Roll Tide.
guy
May 23rd, 2012
9:38 pm
I respect CMR very much but a pay raise and a contract extension? See what happens this year and then decide.As it stands now UGA is rewarding only above average results on the football field.I do believe things will improve but until then win and then earn.
Rick James
May 23rd, 2012
9:41 pm
@Focus on the Family
- and teachers are being laid off left and right
———————————————————–
Teachers are being laid off because of declining city and county revenues it has nothing to do with this story..
Fred ™
May 23rd, 2012
9:51 pm
There is a reason Mark Richt wasn’t THE started at Miami.There is a reason he wasn’t a pro. That reason is why Georgia will NEVER win a National Championship with him at the helm.
Mark Richt is the Mark Martin of college football coaches………..
kingster
May 23rd, 2012
9:52 pm
Yea, yea, yea, but all that money, can ya beat Alabama and LSU(Butterballs Dwags), UGA better watch out for South Carolina, Saint MR.