ATHENS, Ga. — It may not come as a surprise to most, but back-to-back national champion UGA head coach Kirby Smart is Georgia's highest-paid state employee, according to data from Online Betting Guide.
In fact, Smart's 2022 annual earnings of $11.25 million actually rank him as the second-highest-paid state employee not just in the Peach State, but in the entire country.
Online Betting Guide looked at data from local government sources to reveal the highest-paid employees in each state and found that in 43 states that designation belongs to a coach in the sporting industry -- go figure.
Here's a list of the top 10 highest-paid state employees in the US
1. Alabama head football coach Nick Saban (Alabama): $11.7 million
2. UGA head football coach Kirby Smart (Georgia): $11.25 million
3. Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney (South Carolina): 10.5 million
4. Kansas head basketball coach Bill Self (Kansas): $10.18 million
T5. LSU football head coach Brian Kelly (Louisiana): $9.5 million
T5. Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker (Michigan): $9.5 million
T5. Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day (Ohio): $9.5 million
T8. Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher (Texas): $9 million
T8. Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule (Nebraska): $9 million
10. Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari (Kentucky): $8.6 million
The common theme about that list is simple -- they're all head coaches in major conferences in either college football or college basketball. It certainly pays to be a head coach.
Smart was recently rewarded with a gigantic 10-year, $112.5 million contract extension last July. His salary was $10.25 million in 2022, but with annual increases, he's set to be making $12.25 million a year by 2031.
The coach had been making a little more than $7 million a year under a previous contract extension agreed to in 2018.
In addition to his handsomely paid contract, Smart also received a total postseason bonus of $1 million after the Dawgs won their second straight national title. That's why his final number for the past year was $11.25 million.
The state with the highest-paid employee that wasn't a coach was New York, whose employee's title was undisclosed, but made a salary of just over $975,000. To view the full list of highest-paid job titles in other states, click here.