Matt Hayes isn’t my idea of what passes for an astute observer of the college football scene, so for him to get this right should tell you how obvious the current situation is.
This is where we are in the game: Money means nothing — because everyone has it, no one is afraid to spend it and anything is possible.
Like Hugh Freeze, one of the game’s hot young coaches, getting a $1.5-million-a-year raise (to $4.5 million annually) from Ole Miss to stay in Oxford and not leave for Florida. He’s 24-14 in three years at Ole Miss, and 11-13 in the SEC — and he’s now among college football’s highest-paid coaches.
Like Dan Mullen, who a year ago had just saved his job with a late-season run, soon signing a contract extension at Mississippi State instead of leaving for more prominent jobs at Michigan and Nebraska. You better believe he’ll make the same or slightly more than Freeze, and both will be fat and happy with a four-year deal at a place they know, in a job they’ve built, with people they trust.
When money is even, loyalty and ease of living (see: pressure to win big at powerhouse schools) become top priority.
Even the NFL is feeling the money pinch. According to one industry source, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin was pursued by multiple NFL teams last December, but instead signed a contract extension through 2019 with the Aggies worth $5 million annually. All that cash for a coach who was then 20-6 in two seasons in the SEC, with third- and fourth-place finishes in the SEC West.
After three years, Sumlin’s SEC record stands at 13-11 and he has added a sixth-place finish in the West to his resume — and he’s among the five highest-paid coaches in all of college football.
For some, it’s hard to grasp how much TV money is flowing through the coffers of the P5 conferences these days. But it shouldn’t be. (Especially when you consider how much money Charlie Weis has stolen been paid in the past few years.) And maybe, just maybe, that’s part of what’s running through the head of CSU’s president as he seeks to hold Florida to paying the full asking price for Jim McElwain’s buyout. After all, there’s so much money floating around now, if a coach is that sought after, why not figure somebody’s eventually going to pay it all?
And on the flip side, it seems like there are few things more valuable these days than a head coach who wins almost three-quarters of his games, makes a few conference championship games, helps a program generate $70+ million in annual revenues, all while expressing gratitude over being paid a salary that ranks in the bottom half of the SEC. You think Greg McGarity doesn’t appreciate that he could do a lot worse?
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UPDATE: In case you’re still not convinced, take a look north to see what a 6-6 season gets you.
In other “As the Coaching World Turns” news, Tennessee is currently working on a new contract for coach Butch Jones, reports VolQuest.com. Tennessee AD Dave Hart told the site that those conversations are already underway and that, “It will get done in an appropriate fashion” since Jones’ focus is on recruiting right now. Jones is already locked into a six-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $18 million, but as we all know by now, that’s yesterday’s news. Getting Jones under a new, more lucrative and extensive contract will help keep potential suitors at bay.
There is a decent likelihood by the time the next SEC Media Days rolls around that, except for Derek Mason, Mark Richt will be the lowest-paid coach in the room. That’s some crazy shit right there.
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UPDATE #2: New coach makes bank.
Get The Picture 
That’s a lot more money than Sgt. Carter made when he was in the Corps.
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Richt is paid more than he’s worth and he knows it, that’s why there is zero danger of him asking for more or complaining. It speaks volumes that no other programs have approached him. Any coach could win 8-9 games a year with the talent Richt has had and the schedules he has had.
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You really don’t get it, do you?
Your idea of “worth” and the state of the current market are like a Venn Diagram where the circles don’t overlap anywhere.
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He doesn’t “get it” in many more ways than financially. But he has lot’s of company. In many ways I wish CMR would go to Nebraska, they have a classy fan base and would appreciate Mark Richt. 20% of the UGA fan base is the cause of 90% of the noise against Richt buy it gives us the reputation of morons anyway. Just like Tammy and Phyllis have made the upper half of Tide and Barn fans cringe, these guys are our burden to bear. CMR just deserves so much better than he has gotten in Athens.
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I’m pretty well established as someone who is not happy with the status quo as far as results.
But CMR is definitely “worth” what he is getting paid. I feel like that’s undeniable. And this is especially true when you look at the actual market for coaching salaries in the SEC. He is definitely in the top half, if not the top quarter of head coaches in results and performance.
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Relatively speaking he is worth more than he is paid. I am not satisfied with any loss, as a competitor I never have been. But there are better ways to manage that frustration than I see from many here. Also, I see light ahead so I think throwing the towel in on this staff is pretty silly. What is deemed as “excuses” are just facts about a bad bounce/break/call here are there. We seem to have had more than our share, but the fact remains we are one play from playing Alabama for the title Saturday, and two plays from being in the hunt for a spot in the final four this year with a team that was far from ideal in terms of talent, experience, and depth. The idea of burning down the program makes no sense to me.
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Well said Mac
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As usual Mac….you sum things up nicely. 📞
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I agree.
I feel that way as well.
But perhaps even more important: I have absolutely ZERO confidence that the moron cronies at Bowel Movement have the intelligence, wisdom, or the will to hire anyone better.
I think it is very likely that we are DAMN lucky to have as good a staff as we have considering the morons in charge of running the athletic department.
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Amen, Brother….🎍
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Damn Lucky indeed. It makes the Morans in charge look bad.
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Man are you stupid. That talent doesn’t just show up at UGA. CMR has to bring it.
Just look at some stats some time on how CMR is one of, if not the best, coach in UGA history.
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The stats show that he’s the best coach in UGA history, except on Xbox where JCDAWG83 is the best with a .979 winning percentage.
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What are you talking about dude? Before a video game loss you ALWAYS hit reset!
Winning percentage: 1.000%
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There are a lot of schools that would back the bank truck up to Mark Richt’s house in order to get back to competing for conference championships. Think Tennessee, UofM, Miami, Nebraska, USC, UCLA, and I think you have the point.
There are no home run hires out there right now, and therefore ADs are getting desperate.
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Please. The desire to get rid of Richt is causing some of you make some patently ridiculous statements. THE MAN IS STILL WINNING ALMOST 75% OF HIS GAMES AFTER 14 YEARS. In case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t many other coaches who can make that claim.
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THE MAN IS STILL WINNING ALMOST 75% OF HIS GAMES
No, beg to differ. His win % has dropped down to .680 over the last 5 years. That’s 68% instead of his 80% he hit in his first 5 years, a huge decline. ALL CAPS AND EVERYTHING THOUGH, WAY OFF, BUT LOVE THE PASSION!!!!!
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He’s 29-10 in the last 3 seasons. 39-14 over the past 4. That’s right at 70-75%. But sure…. ‘way off’ would accurately describe it….Not.
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I see your point, true, 2012 was a good season from a pure win %, no championships though since 2005, 9 years, but yes, strictly from a win standpoint, 2012 was a good year.
Think about this Irwin re: even the 75% bar, though the SEC bar is conference and national championships.
Richt won:
46% in 2010
71% in 2011
85% in 2012
61% in 2013
69% in 2014 (assuming another bowl loss, he has lost 3 of the last 4 bowl games, trending a bowl loss)
So, 1 season at 75%+ in 5 years, 1 10+ season out of 5, doesn’t make me forget about the other 4, for far too many, 1 good year out of 5, is all they expect
It’s not enough for me. Not good enough.
Need to raise the bar.
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CMR is 8-5 in bowl games? Why do you assume a bowl loss this year?
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Similarly, you need to raise the bar on your sarcastic responses and hot takes.
I’m upset that I read your whole comment…but glad I did once I realized your entire stance relies on projecting a bowl loss this year. Hilarious.
Word to Big Bird.
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Troglodytarum troglodytam requiritur, ne cibos Troglodytis
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Well, hell, dude, you got me. But wait, isn’t 9 75% of 12? So 9-3 is 75%.
I feel dumber for having had to post this to argue with this stupid ass cherry-picking point of view. This is fucking exhausting. I’m going back to lurking.
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We do not know whethere no schools have approached him or whether 124 other schools approached him. The way the world works is that a school or its outside representatives contact the coaches ‘s agents to find out if the coach is interested in being courted. If the agent says “No,” Then neither you or I will know about the call and we would be unaware that the school expressed interest.
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If he had a agent, he’d be blackmailing us every year and likely would have been gone after 2005 or 2007. The fact that we have a coach who doesn’t play that game is appealing to rationale people.
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And most alums sit around with their finger up their asses instead of complaining openly to Greg about the Head Coach, O Coach and other coaches’ inadequate pay in the SEC. Send an e-mail now if you give a fig. Otherwise we are going to be in a bidding war for less effective coach(es).
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Referring to the title of the article and the Dire Straights song should we imply that the Coaches are now going to get their “chicks for free”? If so that is a major change because Patrino had to get his motorcycle momma a job/raise.
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Not with his money. 😉
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Well played.
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“That’s some crazy shit right there.”
A cut and paste line that could be used daily when discussing the mad, mad world of college football. 🙂
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I think Richt’s loyalty is one of the reasons he’s not getting paid more money. Other schools don’t approach him because they know he has no interest in leaving. Lots of coaches say they’re not interested in other jobs, but few really mean it. I would actually be shocked if Richt were to leave for Michigan, or Nebraska, or wherever. I don’t think he leaves unless he gets fired or retires.
But since other schools don’t approach him, he doesn’t have the leverage to demand a higher salary. Not that he would demand it even if he did have the leverage. In a recent interview, when asked about his pay relative to his peers, he commented that he’s making “more money than I ever imagined”, so he’s not worried about it.
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If another school approached Richt and he asked B-M for more money, I think B-M would let him go.
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I think you’re right. And, they could point to the (especially) disgruntled part of the fan base as support for their decision. Their next order of business would be to determine how low they could lowball Bobo.
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What disgusts me so much about Bowel Movement is the fact that you are probably 100% right.
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What’s crazy is with how the money is flowing into college football now, would you be surprised to see big time pro coaches head to the college game? If Butch Jones and Hugh Freeze are worth 4 million a year, why couldn’t Jim Harbaugh or Chip Kelley demand 10 million? Hell, Nick Saban should demand 10 million today from Alabama. The player salaries keep the NFL’s coaches pay somewhat in check. Not all NFL teams are rolling in cash like the colleges are today. It’s sad that all of this enormous sum of money is just getting shared among a very small group of people.
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Yep. I think all alumni should get a rebate from the TV money. 🙂
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Yeah, I dont think that you have a firm grasp on how much money NFL teams actually take in. The lowest revenue NFL team takes in more than double what the highest college team takes in.
Rams had $250million in revenue last year. Texas had $109 million in revenue last year.
NFL money still dwarfs CFB money.
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Yeah, but the NFL teams spend over $100 million on player salaries each year.
CFB is able to get free slave labor. No salaries and no benefits. In fact, CFB even makes a profit off their likenesses and personal reputations.
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Senator, do you think what they are really paying for is stability not ability? Recruiting takes time and momentum (Ok unless you are Ol Miss) and going through a coaching hunt every three years can be exhausting and lead to institutional instability.
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They’re betting on the come that (1) things will get better and (2) the coach won’t jump to another school where the grass appears financially greener.
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Does anyone know if Richt has ever asked for more money?
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Agents ask for money, and Richt needs to fire his agent. That’s a lot of extra money Richt could invest in Richt’s foundation, perhaps the only thing Richt’s passionate about.
It is his hot button, and AD McG ain’t hitting it, doesn’t know how to light Richt’s fire to win Championships.
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Jesus, you don’t have a fucking clue how things work in Athens.
Richt doesn’t use an agent to negotiate with the school. He negotiates for himself and uses an outside attorney to do the contract review work.
Please quit trying to impress us with how much you think you know.
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I haven’t been able to confirm that, haven’t seen a denial yet that Jimmy Sexton, who has been photographed with Georgia stuff, is not his agent. Where was that reported that Richt doesn’t have an agent or denies Sexton is his agent?
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Jimmy Sexton isn’t Richt’s agent, something that should readily be apparent from Richt’s salary.
How and why do you expect a denial? LMAO. I guess Sexton doesn’t know who you are.
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Where did read that Richt doesn’t have an agent?
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meant to say where did you read that, just havn’t read it myself, that Richt doesn’t have an agent. That would be very unusual.
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Have you not read the man’s comments about what he makes? Richt is unusual.
So you admit you don’t have a clue about his representation?
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Never read Richt’s comments that his has no agent, no.
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Well, what comments from Richt that he has an agent who negotiates contracts on his behalf have you read?
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When you see Richt’s name pop up for searches at Penn St recently, or Texas A & M before that, or this year, Nebraska, can mean an agent is working behind the scenes.
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Oh, well, that’s certainly proof.
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Have you seen this picture of Sexton in Bulldawg Illustrated? Seems to be a Bulldog helmet by his foot, and they tried, but could not get a denial that Sexton is indeed richt’s agent. I think they’re plugged into as well as anyone to what’s going on in Athens. You can read it here:
http://bulldawgillustrated.com/2013/12/16/jimmy-sexton-drama-king/
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I’ve seen it before. Did you actually read the article?
A partial shot of a red helmet = Richt’s agent? You’re serious?
Sexton isn’t his agent.
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What? http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fLcgPizREC8/TBjrgTX3QXI/AAAAAAAACLs/bbwSSQQ4eGw/s1600/confused+face.jpg
Have I read something before I jumped on my keyboard? NO! *Never read Richt’s comments that his has no agent, no.* Never saw it. But he does have an agent. I’m sure of it. And furthermore I know who he is. I’ve seen him standing on the Georgia sidelines in Bulldog gear. So chew on this Bluto.
How bout that?
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Sure, and all the hemlet pictured just happen to be his clients? What a coincidence.
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Gee, you’d think there’d be some mention of Jimmy Sexton in these articles about Richt’s last deal, wouldn’t you? Instead, all we get is this:
Lucky for you I’m just bored today. On a bad day, I’d label you a troll and move on.
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I find it interesting Mark Richt is the #1 choice of Nebraska fans.
http://www.omaha.com/huskers/blogs/the-results-are-in-husker-fans-want-to-see-mark/article_dd1a3746-7b06-11e4-8fea-2fc5cd57285d.html
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Nebraska just hired Mike Riley.
He must have a better agent than Richt.
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Okay, Jimmy Sexton is a fat white guy, who represents: Lane, Will Muschamp, Houston, Tommy T, Little Nicky, Gene Chizik, Mike Gundy, and SOS. This is the list from 2010. Probably represents many others now. BUT, CMR does not need an agent. He has JESUS.
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I’m telling ya. You got no idea.
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LOL.
Richt’s “agent” is on the mother.
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Hahahahahaha. This is both funny and true. 🙂
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We only have one agent around here.
http://www.trbimg.com/img-1351488665/turbine/os-photo-will-muschamp-georgia-loss
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Marsalis is sending The Wolf…..
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+1
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Richt is underpaid. His win % over the last 5 years is better than 6 people in his conference, so his pay should be @8th in the SEC, not 13th.
I think when you underpay someone by that much, you get what you pay for.
Look at Bama, they really pay their coach, he works much harder than Richt or any other SEC coach, and wins Championships like 3 in the last 5 or 6 years.
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Are you arguing that, if UGA had paid CMR more, he might have performed like Muschamp? Good point.
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Dire Straits. Money for nothing.
AD says a 10 win season is almost a must.
18 seconds.
Guess the AD showed CMR the financial cost that meant to his coaches, players and the program.
Goes back to first rule in business.
Time is money.
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Sumlin earned every dime for the a$$ kicking he laid on sos. Just my opinion FWIW.
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WOnder if Clemson talks about their State Championship post bowl game? They beat up on SOS pretty hard too!
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Boy. It will be interesting to see Riley’s pay scale at NEB. Not only is his resume not as good as Richt’s, but it is not even as good as Pelini’s. and he was just fired.
I don’t really care how much the coaches make, I don’t know any for sure, but I feel it makes UGA look bad when they rank so low on the SEC toem pole. No matter how you argue, based on records, CMR is in the top 1/4 of the league. Him being at the bottom of the pay is embarrassing. What are they saving the money for?
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Me precious, me precious…..
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The majority of the disgruntled portion of the fan base is made up of people like the guy at our tailgate after the Tech game. Talking about how he should have gone to Bammer and is always leaving games at halftime. He’s been a whiny cunt as long as I’ve known him. We’re fucked if these people actually have a say so. Good thing is that after listening to him, I didn’t feel so bad.
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Negotiating million dollar contracts without an agent seems a good way to leave lots of money on the table. In fact, I think It seems illogical, or even foolish, that any big time, well respected, highly sought after college coach would do that. It doesn’t make much sense.
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Would it make more sense for Jimmy Sexton to leave money on the table?
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It just proves that money isn’t Richt’s motivating factor. Obviously, he could hire an agent, any agent, not just a shark like Sexton, and significantly increase his salary. He’s just not interested.
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Look some of the things Richt has done during games are mind bogglingly dumb but he is without a doubt the most loyal, unassuming coach in College Football. I heard both he and his wife make the statement that Mark makes more than they ever imagined. He is only interested in what the money he makes can be used for others. He is a Damn Great Dawg and like a lot of dogs he is still loyal even when his owner (fans) kick him.
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+1000
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+1000
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