This article is a reminder that a certain someone is in line for a big raise that we haven’t heard about yet.
Towers throws out a few numbers for comparison:
Georgia’s signing of basketball coach Tom Crean to a six-year, $19.2 million contract last week made a statement…
According to USA Today’s latest report, Saban currently earns $6.94 million annually. That’s actually less than the salaries that new Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher ($7.5 million) and old Auburn coach Gus Malzahn ($7 million) are due to pull in based on new contracts…
Dan Mullen went from Mississippi State to Florida and now makes $6.1 million a year. Tennessee hired Jeremy Pruitt from Alabama and he’s due to draw a $4 million salary from the Vols.
And just like that, they all make more than Smart ($3.75 million). Now what?
He then speculates that if McGarity is of a mind to make a statement as he did with Crean’s salary, Kirby is about to become Georgia’s “first Six Million Dollar Man”. The thing is, even if McGarity’s not of such a mind, Jimmy Sexton no doubt is.
Does six mill sound about right to you? If so, where do things go if Kirby actually drags a national championship trophy back to Athens in the near future?
Get The Picture 
It’s all crazy. But we’re in the game now and holding a good hand, so we have to answer when the stakes are raised. But it’s absolutely insane that anyone is paid that much for coaching a sport..or anything I can think of. Where will it end?
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I don’t know, Ugly and I try not to think about this side of CFB. It leaves a very bad taste. To be cliche; The CFB I know and love is “Gone with the Wind” and the fact that Nick Saban is worth 6.5 mil to play teams like Duke, tennessee, and Western Carolina is true proof. Yuck.
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He should get at least what Mullen gets. $6.5 in this market seems about right.
These numbers should serve to remind all of us that these aren’t not-for-profit enterprises any more.
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Ain’t labor wage suppression grand? It’s interesting how college sports is a microcosm of the broader economy where wages for workers have stagnated or declined for decades as unions have been assaulted and the monopoly power of corporations has come to dominate nearly every single industry, enabling them to wield undue power over labor. It’s even more interesting that many of the same people that defend the NCAA model on these discussion forums are probably getting screwed by a similar system in the real economy.
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He should get a reasonable raise based on his current salary.
It made sense for Florida to go after Mullen but Mullen wouldn’t be worth that to anybody else. Likewise Auburn had to fend off Arkansas coming after Malzahn. That’s not the situation we’re in. If another school comes calling for Kirby then we’d have something to match, but right now we just have to be fair. (And btw, for UGA that in itself is an accomplishment.)
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You overlook that McGarity is dealing with Jimmy Sexton. If all it takes is the threat of another school coming, Jimmy will be more than happy to supply the possibility.
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If I’m one of the other schools, I’m not going to put an offer on the table just so Kirby can get himself a raise from Georgia. So it’s not the possibility of an offer I’m talking about but an actual offer.
If I’m McGarity and my coach gets an offer, I would have to match it or lose my coach. However, Kirby better be ready for the possibility of moving if UGA doesn’t match. You never know.
When push comes to shove, I don’t see Kirby wanting to go anywhere else, nor do I see UGA wanting to have to hire a replacement, so it behooves both sides to negotiate in good faith. That kind of cuts Sexton off at the pass anyway.
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Pay him his money
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You beat me to it. I think $7.5 million, same as Jimbo, a bit above Gus, right near the top, where it needs to be. $8 million if you wanted to put an exclamation point on it.
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My guess is $6.0-6.5 is where this is going, perhaps a tick lower. That leaves room for a bump should things continue to stay near the top for UGA on the field. I hope we don’t do a contract longer than 5-6 years, so many things can change both within the sport, and in the market at large. Just because others are running recklessly toward the ledge doesn’t mean we have to follow their every move. At the same time, we should stay within range of the top programs in the areas of salaries and facilities.
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Kirby’s a bargain at 6+ million compared to Harbaugh, Mullen, Fisher, and others. One sec title, 1 mnc game, and 2 top recruiting classes speaks for itself.
If you have to reduce Greg Mediocrity’s pay to help balance the budget, I don’t have a problem with that.
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While I am sure that Pruitt will stick to his guiding principles, I suspect that big urnge didnt hire him for that. They want wins.
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Seems weird to say a coach should make this type of money, not that I am against it in principle, but $6.5 mil is a lot of money compared to just five years ago. Throw in good bonus money for titles and a huge bonus for graduation rates.
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Take it for what it’s worth, but I expect that a commitment to pay your coach market value is perceived as a commitment to the program, similar to the IPC and other improvements. I have no doubt that people recruited negatively against CMR/UGA because he paid bonuses out of his personal account.
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What price loyalty? Kirby is more loyal to UGA than any of us well-meaning fans will ever begin to appreciate and his stomach would turn over at the thought of other entreaties. It means that his actual pay is a matter of state pride and pride for it’s premier University.
He is the son of a coach from deep south Georgia; the alum who actually played the game well for his University (that thumps it’s chest with pride in return); the returning conquering coach responsible for National Championship-quality play for the better part of this decade. He’s one of our own and building a Champion at his alma mater.
Screw the over-bloated salaries of others who don’t mean jackshit to us – pay the man what we think of him.
Uh, Jimmy, I’ll catch you at the Spring Game.
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