The deal, brokered by Memphis agent Jimmy Sexton, is believed to make Smart the highest-paid coach in college football. It comes six months after Georgia won the school’s first national football championship in 41 years.
Southern Cal coach Lincoln Riley, who has never won a national championship, signed a 10-year, $110 million deal after leaving Oklahoma at the end of last season.
Going 14-1 last season, the Bulldogs improved to 66-15 (.815) under Smart’s guidance, 40-9 in SEC play (.816) and 5-1 in bowl games . At 46, he has won the Sugar, Orange, Rose and Peach Bowls.
Smart’s winning percentage is .852 (58-10) over the past five seasons, which includes the 2021 College Football Playoff Championship, an appearance in the 2018 CFP title game, the SEC Championship of 2017 and four SEC Eastern Division titles. His last five teams finished in the top 10 of the final CFP rankings.
Smart has been named SEC Coach of the Year twice since being hired in December 2015, and has coached 11 NFL first-round picks and 45 overall.
The 2021 Smart team will go down as one of the largest in school history. Posted first undefeated regular season (12-0) since 1982. In a 33-18 win over Alabama in the CFP title game in Indianapolis on Jan. 10, Georgia’s defense allowed just 10.2 points per game It was the lowest since the Crimson Tide allowed 8.2 per game in 2011, when their defense was also under Smart. The Bulldogs set 21 school records overall, most of them in the defensive variety.
“Coach Smart’s impact at the University of Georgia extends far beyond his significant accolades as head football coach,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said in a statement released by the school. “He and his wife are Bulldogs through and through, and it’s clear that Athens and UGA mean as much to him as he means to us. I’m excited for the continued success of our football program under his leadership. The future of Georgia football continues to shine with Coach Smart as a steadfast leader.”
Smart said, “I am grateful to President Jere Morehead and Josh Brooks for their continued support of Georgia football. It is an honor to be the head football coach at the University of Georgia, and while I am proud of what we have been able to achieve, I’m sure the best is yet to come.”
Smart was asked Wednesday at SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame about the lengthy process that had seen contract negotiations stretch into a sixth month.
“Both sides have worked very hard to get things done, and things have gone very well,” Smart said. “I cannot say more than what they have been willing to do and the communication we have had. It’s not as easy as you think. I think people think it’s just a number and a year, but there’s a lot more to it.”
