The Next Renovation of Stegeman
As we said on Tuesday, there's a rumor out there that UGA is "preparing" to offer Jeff Capel of Oklahoma "in excess of $2 million" to coach Georgia. I said at the time that this looks like the sort of rumor put forth by Capel's agent to drive up the price for Capel at OU.
The latest rumor plastered on several Big 12 message boards says we'd pay Capel as much as $2.8 million per year. The initial reaction from many Dawg fans is "That's what Richt makes. No way we'd go that high." I've said previously that Richt's salary has nothing to do with this search, but I do realize that statement has its limits.
Instead of discussing the merits of football vs. basketball, I thought it might be interesting to get some perspective on what different coaches in basketball actually make. A random sampling of coaches (per year):
- Billy Donovan (UF) - $3.4 million
- Bill Self (Kansas) - $3 million
- John Calipari (Memphis) - $2.5 million
- Billy Gillespie (UK) - $2.3 million
- Rick Pitino (Louisville) - $2.25 million + $7.2 mil in longevity bonuses
- Roy Williams (UNC) - $2 million
- Ben Howland (UCLA) - $1.97 million
- Tubby Smith (Minnesota) - $1.85 million + enormous incentive upside
- Jim Calhoun (UConn) - $1.6 million
- Bruce Pearl (UT) - $1.6 million
- Jamie Dixon (Pitt) - $1.3 million
- Jay Wright (Villanova) - $1.3 million (per a poorly sourced article)
- Lon Kruger (UNLV) - $1 million
- Jeff Capel (Oklahoma) - $1 million
- Mike Anderson (Missouri) - $850,000
- Dennis Felton (ex-UGA) $760,000
- Mark Few (Gonzaga) - $750,000 (per a poorly sourced article)
- Anthony Grant (VCU) - $700,000
Georgia is going to get aggressive in compensation. I buy into that. But $2.8 million? Puhleaze. We're not going to pay our next coach 40 percent more than what Roy Williams makes at UNC. We're getting serious ... not stupid.
I personally think we'll end up paying $1.5-1.8 million, and that would land us plenty of prime time candidates.
PWD
BTW -- If you're wondering why Tom Izzo isn't on the list? He gets a balloon payment of $4 million in 2010 on top of the $1.7 million he makes currently and the $7 million he made in 2006. He's not going anywhere. Also, I didn't list Mike Brey or Sean Miller because the salaries of private university coaches can be tough to find.
22 comments:
Indiana paid Crean 1.4 mil this season. he gets an 80K raise each year through 10 years.
it will be interesting to see. I mean, when you think about Indiana, a storied bastion of college basketball searching for a coach and that guy got 1.4 mil this season. now UGA is potentially going to pay a coach MORE than that.... just wow.
They better make the right decision is all i have to say.
I like Grant, personally. He'd be cheaper than many of the others. But, it seems that UGA will probably go another direction.
in any instance, good luck to Damon and let's hope with the help of the search firm that they get the man they want, and that he's the right one for UGA.
with the basketball talent in the state it's a shame we can't have a better program.
More and more, we need to go to Pittsburgh and get Jamie Dixon.
I do not get the Anthony Grant talk. Yes, he would be cheap, but cheap does not win. He is in his third year at VCU and the program is not improving. He got to the NCAA's in his first year, with whose players? Thats right...Jeff Capel. So lets not just go cheap and safe. I want a big boy coach. Someone who you look at and you know what he has accomplished. I think Jamie Dixon, Sean Miller, or Jeff Capel would be fantastic. I also like Mike Anderson. Season tickets are behind visitor's bench so I got to watch this guy work this year. Grant puts us back in the Felton type situation of handing over a big time program to someone with only mid major experience. There is a big difference between leading the ship and just working on it.
So Basically...you wrote all that to say you don't know if we are offering 2.8 or not.
BTW, UNC is an ACC team...they probably don't have the money to pay Roy Williams more. Sure they make a lot of money off merchandise & basketball, but they aren't bringing in what UGA is.
UGA makes money in merchandise, tons of money off football, & yes even basketball. Not to mention the SEC's new TV contract which will give UGA close to $15 Mill.
Our athletic program has a surplus $60 million.
So the bottom line is.....Damon could be flexing a little Financial muscle in offering the man he wants to run the Basketball program 2.8 Mill.
The searchers have already identified Grant as too much like Felton in many ways.
He will not be our coach.
Anon 8:50 - I read the point being we're NOT going to enter the 2.8 range. I can see us doubling the basketball head coach's salary, but not more than tripling it.
Pulling the bigger picture into focus..this is the type of search and the amount of money that can energize a very eager fan base for a very deserving program.
I can see us getting over 2.5 for a guy like Izzo with serious championship pedigree, but like Paul says, most of those guys are locked up with large contracts and huge longevity incentives that make it very prohibitive for us to top.
But for that low end level, I still don't get Capel as such a clear #1. Few (if he's not over 1.5 already), and Miller if he's in that range below 1.5, but definitely Jamie Dixon should get that 2+ offer before targetting Capel imo. Who knows though, Dixon may have already told us it's either Arizona or he's staying.
Never mind on Dixon, Paul you need to read your links closer. The one on Dixon said he was getting 1.3 before they raised him and doesn't specify the raise he got before the season tipped off. I'd assume it's in the 1.5-1.8 range already. If we can't buy off a big name, Capel and Anderson are mighty enticing for a potential bump into that 1.5-1.8 range. While I like both, I'd still rather someone with a bit more established success in March.
Let's see....2 mill in Athens, or 1.7 in Pittsburgh?
Hmmmm....I'd have to think about it.
Also, the Zona is under NCAA investigation. Wonder if that would hamper any search or advantage they may be perceived to have.
Anon 8:50,
If you read all of that and still think UGA is going to pay $2.8 million, you're nuts.
I have additional color on this that I didn't print.
A senior UGA administrator was asked before the LSU game at a pre-game reception if UGA would be willing to pay a coach more than Richt.
I was told that the person said, "Money isn't an object, but I can tell that there aren't very many basketball coaches making $2.8 million."
The impression the folks who were in that room got was that we weren't going to pay that much because we didn't need to pay that much.
Begger,
Yeah, I probably blew one of the links or more. Not shocked. Doesn't matter, I just don't see him coming here. It doesn't make any sense.
The big thing is the lack of longevity bonus info above.
Congrats on paying 3.4 mil on back-to-back NIT appearances, Gators. Well done.
(Al Horford isn't walking through that door. Corey Brewer isn't...well, you get the point.)
What does Coach K make at Duke?
I am surprised Roy Williams only makes $2 million.
is it true?? orson picked uga!?
Yep, its true. Orson is now a DAWG!!!
Yep, he is a Dawg
What do u guys think about UGA looking at Dana Altman from Creighton. He is one of the most consistent coaches in the country and nobody ever talks about him. Very good coach
Altman is the same guy who took the Arkansas job in 07 only to renege on the deal citing family reasons. He's not going anywhere nor would I want him anywhere near the Georgia bench.
Oh so you must be in his hair then, cause you supposedly know everything about his decision...It must be so wrong to change your decision...Give me a break
A couple of things. I think we are going to be a bridesmaid in a lot of the discussions.
The Kentucky job is one bad loss away from being open. Despite the insane fan base, it is a marquee job that already pays over $2 million. I would expect that UK would try to sell itself to Donovan with a lot more $$ and a "Roy Williams/UNC" appeal. Who knows if it will work, but if Donovan leaves UF - then Grant probably moves away from us to UF.
Personally, I do not think that Grant is the pick but it might not be the best thing for us perception wise.
Arizona is open and I do not think that impending probation will deter anyone from taking that job. Indiana was able to get its man last year. They have a better basketball pedigree than us and a fertile recruiting pipeline in California.
I think Capel will stay at Oklahoma and his agent is the source of the leak.
One thing in our favor if we like Mike Anderson is that Alabama has started to play ay better than expected since Gottfried was fired/resigned. Should they make a SEC tourney run to the NCAA's, they have to keep the interim dude right?
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