Final contract details for Smart’s coaches released

ATHENS – The contract details for all of Kirby Smart’s assistant coaches are now in, and for at least the first year the group will collectively be paid a bit under what Mark Richt’s final staff earned.

Smart’s nine assistants will earn a combined $4,525,000. That’s around $225,000 less than the combined salaries of Richt’s staff last year. (Smart is also earning about $250,000 less than Richt did in his final year.) But most of the difference between this year and last year can be accounted for at the coordinator level.

Smart’s staff will also have more security, as six of the nine assistants are on multi-year contracts.

The final numbers could be tallied Friday after UGA provided and clarified the details for three more assistant coaches, the three who will remain on one-year contracts.

Shane Beamer will earn $300,000 this year as Georgia’s tight ends coach and special teams coordinator, according to a personnel document provided by the school through an open records request.

Dell McGee, hired to coach running backs, will earn $275,000. That’s also according to a personnel report. While memos of understanding with Beamer and McGee have not been provided yet, there will be no additional supplementary income for either, so those are indeed their base salaries.

Meanwhile Glenn Schumann, the new inside linebackers coach, will earn a gross salary of $250,000, according to a memo of understanding, which is actually $25,000 higher than he was set to earn, at least according to the initial personnel report provided the week he was hired, in early December.

Beamer, McGee and Schumann will all be on one-year contracts, athletics director Greg McGarity confirmed.

Three other assistants – offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and offensive line coach Sam Pittman – are on three-year contracts. Three others – receivers coach James Coley, defensive line coach Tracy Rocker and outside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer – are on two-year contracts.

But Smart downplayed the importance of multi-year deals last week during a news conference in Athens.

“Me personally, or when you talk to a lot of NFL coaches, a lot of them don’t want multi-year deals because it locks them in a lot of times. It’s a two-way street,” Smart said. “Each guy was dealt with on an individual basis. Some of those decisions they made, some of them I made, some of them were mutual agreements. I didn’t always like a multiyear deal, personally, as an assistant. If I do my job, I recruit good players, and we win football games, I’m going to have opportunities. Opportunities create leverage, create movement, create a situation where you can go advance. Sometimes that advancement can be hindered by multiyear deals, depending on the wording.

“I was happy that we were able to create a great staff, but each one was dealt with on an individual basis. I think each one of them got what they wanted.”

Here are the salaries for Smart’s nine assistant coaches:

Jim Chaney — $850,000

Mel Tucker — $850,000

Sam Pittman — $650,000

Tracy Rocker — $525,000

James Coley — $450,000

Kevin Sherrer — $375,000

Shane Beamer — $300,000

Dell McGee     — $275,000

Glenn Schumann — $250,000

Here is how the 2015 Georgia coaching staff broke down:

Jeremy Pruitt — $1,300,000

Brian Schottenheimer — $950,000

Tracy Rocker— $500,000

Rob Sale — $400,000

Bryan McClendon — $350,000

John Lilly — $350,000

Kevin Sherrer — $350,000

Mike Ekeler — $275,000

Thomas Brown — $275,000

Staff writer Chip Towers contributed to this report.