What Is Kirby Smart's Net Worth and Salary?
Kirby Smart is an American football coach who has a net worth of $50 million. Kirby Smart is probably best known for being the head coach of the University of Georgia's football team. In July 2022, Smart signed a contract with the Georgia Bulldogs that made him the highest-paid college football coach in the world. His annual salary under the deal is $11.25 million. He extended the contract through the 2033 season and got a raise to $13 million in May 2024.
Early Life
Kirby Paul Smart was born on December 23, 1975, in Montgomery, Alabama. He grew up in Bainbridge, Georgia. Kirby went to Bainbridge High School before going on to play college football at the University of Georgia. He played defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1995 to 1998.
Career
Smart served as an administrative assistant coach at Georgia in 1999. He was the defensive backs coach at Valdosta State in 2000 and the team's defensive coordinator in 2001. From 2002 to 2003, Kirby was a general assistant coach at Florida State. He became the defensive backs coach at LSU in 2004 under then-head coach Nick Saban before taking the running backs coach job at Georgia in 2005.
In 2006, he served as an assistant coach for the NFL's Miami Dolphins. In 2007, Smart returned to the college ranks following Nick Saban to Alabama, where he became assistant head coach and defensive backs coach. From 2008 to 2015, he served as the team's defensive coordinator. The duo won National Championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015.
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Smart became Georgia's head coach in 2016. In 2017, he was named SEC Coach of the Year after leading the team to its first SEC title since 2005. The Bulldogs made it to the National Championship game but lost to Alabama 26-23. The 2018 and 2019 seasons both ended with 11-1 regular season records and SEC titles. The 2020 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the team ended the regular season at 7-2 for second place in the SEC East.
In 2021, the Georgia Bulldogs won the National Championship over Alabama, the school's first such title since 1980. After finishing the regular season at 12-0, the Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship game 41-24. Now ranked #3 in the country, Georgia would take on the Michigan Wolverines in the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Orange Bowl and beat them 34–11 to move on to the rematch against Saban's Crimson Tide.
Highest-Paid College Football Coach
Prior to the 2022-2023 season, Smart's annual salary was $7 million. He had been coaching under a 7-year, $49 million contract extension.
In July 2022, Kirby signed a 10-year $112.5 million contract with the Georgia Bulldogs. This contract, which pays an average annual salary of $11.25 million, made him the highest-paid college football coach in history up to that point. In May 2024, Smart extended the contract another 10 years through the 2033 season. His salary was boosted to $13 million with this extension.
