And it takes a once frugal Athletic Director to okay a spending spree on an enlarged support staff.
Georgia’s spending on its football support staff has jumped more than 33 percent in the past year as new coach Kirby Smart has added to what already was an increased off-the-field presence in the program.
That’s something Smart grew accustomed to when he was on staff at Alabama.
“Oh, man, we get a tremendous amount of help,” Alabama senior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said. “If you’re overweight and need to lose weight, we have people for that. If you’re going through family issues, there’s someone for that. Academic, there’s someone for that. There’s no excuse for why you shouldn’t be on top of your game at Alabama. They give you everything you need to be successful and that’s why I feel like we’ve had so much success.”
Smart was with the Crimson Tide for nine seasons under coach Nick Saban, the last eight as defensive coordinator. Smart said in January that Alabama had the “largest staff of any capacity I’ve ever seen,” but said he didn’t think “you need every one of those roles.”
Georgia is spending $2,893,550 on support staff positions, up from $2,171,393 a year ago, according to data received in an open records request by OnlineAthens.com. The numbers are also impacted by a three percent merit increase for athletics staff for the fiscal year that just started.
Is that a lot? Well, yeah.
Alabama reported spending $2.7 million on football support staff in 2013-14 in its NCAA financial report, according to CBSSports.com.
Mark Richt can only shake his head in admiration. This is a perfect example of why I’ve left that Quote of the Day up for three months.
It’s what “all in” looks like, observers of the Georgia Way. Best get used to it.
Get The Picture 
Good. Win at all cost
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Hey, why not? Worked at Auburn and Tennessee.
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It did work at Auburn. They won mnc and played for another.
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Yeah, well, it may be a while before it breaks that way for them again.
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We have a difference of opinion as to whether what Auburn does to get to two championship games is consistent with the purpose of collegiate sports.
To me, I do not want to be associated with the Auburn or Tennesee way.
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Championships or bust. Nothing else matters.
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I respect your world view and do not want to change your mind. I do not share your world view, however.
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I agree with that. Win and win the right way. Hopefully, Kirby is going to do that.
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It may just be me, but when I look at those salaries for the non-coaching staff I can’t help but think we’re paying these guys way too much fucking money for jobs that aren’t even assistant coaches. These salaries make most of the professors and many people in the private sector appear to be way underpaid unless these guys are way overpaid. The money in this game has absolutely gotten out of control and that mother fucker McGoofy expects us to pony up more money for donations and tickets next year. It’ll be interesting to see when the tipping point is finally reached with the fans.
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When the significant value driver within your workforce has its compensation capped, that money inevitably goes somewhere. It’s also the reason I call bullshit on the people that act like players getting a little more money is going to end the sport as we know it. The money’s clearly there and has been for awhile – it’s just been used to artificially inflate the salaries of admins and support staff.
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Exactly. There is so much money, they don’t know what to do with it, but they have to spend it somehow. Same old institutional thinking that tends to help structure small to medium size organizations but fails miserably with large institutions. Thank the government for all the financial regulations that were designed to help initially but in reality it just is the catalyst that snowballs into an explosion of problems.
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The next time I hear an AD complain about the economics of college sports and the NCAA’s version of amateurism, I just need to pull this article up to remind myself of the bloat in big time athletics budgets.
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+1000
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It amazes me that these guys think this can go on forever with the current status quo when sharks like Kessler are just circling in the sea.
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Was Richt ever guilty of asking for more help? Did he think he needed help? Not sure why the Richt shaking his head comment..until we know the answer to my questions, we have no idea if Richt is shaking his head or was just oblivious to the situation.
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The fact Richt got into trouble for paying his assistant coaches extra bonus money out of his own pocket tells me he likely requested the funds and was turned down. I don’t disagree with your constant pointing out Richt’s short comings on the football field, but to think the Adams-McGarity administration gave him full support to do his job is a pipe dream.
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That was years ago…
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He probably quit asking. Poor guy probably thought he was going to get the IPF but Kirby snatched that too.
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Yes, because he got in trouble for it and had to stop ..at least that we know of. You also only heard about it because he publicly got in trouble for it. You have no idea what else he suffered in silence with that may never even come to light.
Let’s be happy Kirby is finally getting what he needs to succeed, but to turn around and blame someone who was actually denied what was needed is just wrong on so many levels.
I don’t know about you but I want Georgia to win more than I wish to excoriate Mark Richt!
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Gosh, I do not know whether Richt had anything to do with Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance, so until I see conclusive evidence he did not he remains a prime suspect.
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And unlike Richt, I’m betting Kirby knows how to deploy and utilize that support staff.
I said at the time when after the ’14 season we loosened the purse string and started hiring support staff that it wouldn’t do any good because Richt didn’t know how to utilize those resources
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Agree
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Good post
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Maybe I’d agree with the ‘CMR shaking his head’ comment if he called McG’s bluff. Pruitt sure didn’t have any problem calling McG penny-wise and pound-foolish. If CMR didn’t put forward a coherent argument, or wasn’t willing to fight for the funds, there’s no surprise he didn’t get them. And look at all the $$ CMR wasted on hangers-on like Eason and van Hallinger.
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Get used to it? I can get used to lobster and filet mignon. Hope the cook doesn’t under cook or over cook it.
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I’M ALL IN.
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Loved the 100 grand guy whose job is to make nice with the cops and he’s not even a lawyer. Ever hear of the economic bubble? Well College football is staring one in the face. It only required a cumulative score of $1,600.00 in Hartman Fund points to get renewable season tickets this year. That’s good for the young guys but shows that there was not the rabid interest that should have come with the new coach. 2008 it took $10,000.00 to get a renewable season ticket. Those 60 inch TV sets are looking better and better. If the WWL ever hiccups college football is toast.
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This:
“There’s no excuse for why you shouldn’t be on top of your game at Alabama.”
This is the point of all of it. No excuses. Kirbo is clearly pushing all the right buttons right now…toe meets leather soon…hopefully it translates to on the field. A lot of culture change having to happen.
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I don’t think there was or is a Georgia Way when the last decade is considered. It was the Richt way and a bunch of excuses.
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Richt had way more leverage than he thought. That he didn’t use that leverage to get what he needed to win at the highest level was his undoing.
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I don’t see why anyone would view this as a negative. It’s clear Kirby is not interested in cutting ethical corners like we’ve seen on the plains. Our suspension policies seem to have remained (while Auburn is playing 4 guys who got arrested for pot, without any suspension).
Why would we not want to invest in our program to be the very best it can be? Moreover, why wouldn’t the athletic department want to invest in the brand and product most capable of making more money and raising the profile of the University. Thousands of high school students across the land are entertaining the idea of attending Clemson because their dad had ESPN on all Christmas.
This isn’t illegal or win at all cost. It is investing in excellence. I swear, we’re afraid to be great.
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That’s until they actually visit Clemson’s campus and realize there’s nothing there other than a lake.
I want us to invest wisely in the program, but my comment was similar to others. I would rather see that money go to the athletes than into bloated budgets and locker room waterfalls.
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” I would rather see that money go to the athletes than into bloated budgets and locker room waterfalls.”
Well sure, but right now that isn’t legal so we do not have that choice. Plus, even when we get that choice, the kids will still need and benefit from support staff.
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$3 million worth of support staff? At $100k a pop, that’s 30 people running doing who knows what.
I just find it ironic that ADs talk about how they’re so squeezed economically but then throw cash at support staff or into facilities but then talk about amateurism and how it would be such a financial hardship to provide more than the scholarship. It’s easy to spend all of this money when you have a ceiling on the cost of the student-athlete.
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