Kirby Smart Net Worth

Kirby Smart is the head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team, a position he has held since 2015. With a current annual salary of multi-million dollars, he is one of the highest-paid college football coaches in the US. 

Throughout his career, he has built an impressive wealth. Before coaching, Smart even had a brief professional football career in the late 1990s, playing safety for the Indianapolis Colts. 

Now, with continued success at Georgia, including the 2022 national championship, Smart’s already substantial net worth is likely to grow even higher in the coming years, which we analyze today.

Kirby Smart’s net worth salary and bonuses:

Smart has accumulated an impressive estimated net worth of $35 million through his successful career as a football coach, including the last seven seasons as the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. 

He has been able to amass this small fortune thanks largely to the massive 10-year, $112.5 million contract extension he signed with UGA in July 2022 on the heels of leading the program to the 2022 National Championship. 

This record-setting contract cemented Smart’s status as the highest-paid coach in college football, providing him an average annual salary of $11.25 million over the length of the deal, which runs through 2031. 

His salary starts at $10.25 million for the 2022 season but includes built-in $250,000 raises yearly, topping out at $12.25 million for 2031. 

When combined with up to $1.1 million per year in potential bonuses for achievements like SEC titles, CFP berths, and hitting certain win totals, Smart can pull in over $13 million per season coaching the Bulldogs.

Smart’s contract also lavishes him with additional perks like 50 hours per year of private jet usage for recruiting and travel, allowing him to crisscross the country in luxury while building the UGA program.

He even has the option to roll over up to 10 unused private flight hours each year. The contract provides Smart unmatched job security, promising him 100% of his remaining salary through 2026, even if fired without cause.

UGA would still owe him 85% of what’s left if it were dismissed in 2027 or beyond. Conversely, she would owe millions to the school if he opts to leave early for another job, with the buyout amount declining each subsequent year of the deal.

With Georgia poised to remain a college football powerhouse and mount more national title runs behind Smart’s leadership, his fortune should continue expanding well past the already impressive estimated net worth he has amassed before age 50. 

A $10M+ salary and winning programs should have Smart retiring as a wealthy man.

Kirby Smart’s coaching history

Smart’s coaching career began in 1999 when he took on an administrative role at his alma mater, the University of Georgia, just months after his brief NFL playing career had ended. 

He quickly moved on to larger roles. He spent one season coaching defensive backs at Valdosta State in 2000 before being promoted to defensive coordinator there in 2001 at just 25 years old. 

Wanting to continue his education, Smart also spent 2002-2003 working as a graduate assistant for legendary coach Bobby Bowden at Florida State, earning his master’s degree in the process. 

Kirby Smart with Nick Saban (Source: The Courier-Journal)

He parlayed that into his first job coaching major college football when Nick Saban hired him as LSU’s defensive backs coach in 2004.

The Saban connection lasted over a decade. Smart reunited with him in 2005 as safeties coach for Saban’s first season with the Miami Dolphins. When Saban returned to the collegiate ranks in 2007 to take over Alabama, he brought Smart along as his defensive coordinator. 

Over the next nine seasons, Smart played a vital role in transforming the Crimson Tide into a juggernaut, winning four national titles in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015. His defenses were consistently ranked among the nation’s best, sending countless players to the NFL.

After being connected to several head coaching jobs over the years, Smart finally took the reins of his program when Georgia, his alma mater, came calling in 2015.

Kirby Smart with his Georgia Bulldogs team (Source: Dwag Post)

Inheriting a program that had gone mostly dormant for nearly 15 years, he quickly engineered a dramatic turnaround in Athens. 

He led the Bulldogs to an SEC title and National Championship Game appearance in just his second season in 2017, establishing Georgia as Alabama’s new top challenger in the conference and nationally. 

Smart reinforced the Bulldogs’ growth into an elite power by capturing three straight SEC East division titles from 2017-2019, with another trip to the title game in 2018 and three consecutive New Year’s Six bowl wins. 

After a decade of consistent success everywhere he’s coached, Kirby Smart now has Georgia positioned to compete for championships every season.

Kirby Smart coached the Georgia Bulldogs to two victories back-to-back

When Smart took over as head coach at his alma mater, Georgia, the program had grown stagnant after years of unfulfilled potential. However, he was able to establish Georgia as Alabama’s foremost SEC challenger quickly.

After three straight SEC East titles from 2017-2019 and another playoff run in 2018, Smart broke through historically in 2021 to capture Georgia’s first national championship in 41 years. 

Riding a ferocious defense, the Bulldogs avenged their 2018 title game loss to Alabama in the championship, earning the program’s long-awaited crown. The return to the mountaintop only drove Smart and Georgia to greater heights. 

They entered 2022 with a #3 preseason ranking and never looked back, capturing the top spot after dominating #11 Oregon in Week 1. 

Kirby Smart after winning the college football National Championship in 2022 (Source: CBS Sports)

Led by a defense widely considered among the best in recent memory, Georgia reeled off 12 regular season wins to make the SEC title game 13-0. Their only loss came to Alabama in the SEC Championship, after which they still earned the #1 CFP seed. 

Showcasing their talent and depth, Georgia overcame injuries and adversity to notch playoff wins over Ohio State and TCU to secure back-to-back national titles for the first time in school history. 

In just two seasons, Smart cemented himself as an all-time great coach, returning the Bulldogs to the elite status they held in his playing days. 

With Georgia primed to sustain this run, Smart may just be getting started chasing more championships and dynastic status in Athens.