ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia State has awarded contract extensions to football coach Kirby Smart and athletic director Josh Brooks, releasing messages to both men on Thursday afternoon affirming the school's alignment with its strong football program.
Smart received a two-year extension through December 2033 and a $1.75 million raise. He is expected to make $13 million annually, with bonuses of up to $1.55 million.
“I remain grateful and humbled by the administration's commitment to our football program,” Smart said. “The current culture of collegiate athletics is ever-changing and more challenging than ever before, so I am truly grateful for the leadership that our team continues to provide. We take great pride in representing them and look forward to our continued relationship for many years to come.”
In announcing Smart's contract extension, Brooks cited the team's record along with 63 draft picks over the first eight seasons.
“I'm sure you'll agree that his leadership for our program has been great. This new contract is well-deserved,” Brooks said.
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After winning the national championship two years ago, Smart signed a 10-year contract worth $112.5 million in 2021. At the time, Smart became the highest-paid coach in college football, with new signings including Alabama's Nick Saban and Clemson's Dabo Swinney. A deal slightly above that.
Although Saban is retired, Swinney is scheduled to make $11.5 million this year, slightly more than this year's contract called for in Smart's previous contract. In the two years since Smart signed his last contract, Georgia State won back-to-back national championships, but then went 13-1 and lost in the SEC Championship Game, missing out on the College Football Playoff.
Georgia is 94-16 under Smart, who turned 48 in December.
Brooks, 43, received an additional one-year extension, meaning his contract runs through 2030 and will earn him $1.275 million per year, increasing by $100,000 each term. NCAA Directors will award up to $200,000 in bonuses for finishing in the top 20 in his Cup standings and overall academic performance. His contract, revised last year, called for him to earn $1.25 million this past year and receive $100,000 in raises over the next five years of his contract. This puts him in the lower-to-average class of SEC athletic directors.
Athletic director Josh Brooks, quarterback Stetson Bennett and coach Kirby Smart celebrate Georgia's second straight national championship in 2023. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
UGA President Jere Morehead emphasized that Brooks is still “well below most of his SEC colleagues,” but noted that his salary is commensurate with his experience.
“Josh's performance as athletic director has been outstanding and we are pleased with the direction of the athletic department,” Morehead said. “We know our team’s success has been remarkable, our fundraising efforts continue to exceed expectations, and our student-athletes are excelling in the classroom.”
This deal combination is notable because Brooks did not hire Smart and the football program was one he could largely leave alone. Since Brooks was promoted to athletic director to replace Greg McGarity in January 2021, most of his time has been spent making coaching decisions for other programs at the University of Georgia. Fourteen of Georgia's 19 varsity athletic teams changed coaches under Brooks.
The most recent is gymnastics, a once-mainstream program that has fallen into decline over the past two years. Brooks fired Courtney Kupetz-Carter after seven seasons and hired co-coaches Cecil Cancteau-Lundy and Ryan Roberts.
The baseball program is in its first year under Wes Johnson, who was hired to replace Scott Stricklin, who was fired after 10 years. Two years ago, Brooks fired men's basketball coach Tom Crean after four seasons and replaced him with Mike White, who led the Bulldogs to the NIT Final Four last season. In women's basketball, Joni Taylor left two years ago to coach at Texas A&M and was replaced by Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who went 34-30 in two seasons.
The most successful coaching change under the Brooks administration so far has been in women's soccer. After seven seasons, Billy Resene was fired in 2021 and replaced by Kaydan McAlpine, who coached the team to the 2023 SEC Championship and the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Also swimming and diving (Jack Bauerle in 2022), men's tennis (Manny Diaz this year), women's tennis (Jeff Wallace in 2023) and softball (Lou Harris Champer in 2021). There was also the retirement of a long-time coach.
The University of Georgia was ranked 20th in the NCAA Directors' Cup prior to this winter's standings, but the school typically moves up in the standings after spring sports.
Georgia finished seventh in last year's NCAA Directors' Cup all-sports standings. Georgia ranked 19th last year and 10th in the 2020-21 school year (Brooks took over midway through the same year).
(Kirby Smart top photo: Sam Navarro / USA Today)
