[boilerblonde]

Florida Gators make Urban Meyer highest paid in SEC with 6-year, $24 million deal - ESPN

By Chris Low
ESPN.com
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Urban Meyer, who has taken the Florida Gators to rarified heights with two national championships in four seasons, will see his salary climb to equally exclusive company.

The $4 million club.

A new six-year, $24 million contract for Meyer was finalized Monday, taking his total financial package to $4 million per year and making him the SEC's highest-paid coach in 2009.

It makes him the third-highest-paid coach in the country behind Pete Carroll's repored $4.4 million salary at USC and Charlie Weis' $4.2 million at Notre Dame.

Meyer's new deal will run through the 2014 season, and there are also incentives involved that could raise his pay even higher.

"I continue to be very thankful and appreciative for everything the University of Florida and the athletic program has done for me and my family," Meyer said in a statement. "Dr. [Bernie] Machen, Jeremy Foley and the community make this a special place, and I'm honored to be a part of it."

Alabama's Nick Saban is set to earn $3.9 million this season, while LSU's Les Miles jumped to $3.75 million after winning the 2007 national championship.

Oklahoma's Bob Stoops is the highest-paid coach in the Big 12 and fifth in the country at $3.8 million. Meyer's old deal paid him $3.25 million and was set to take him through the 2012 season. Last season, counting $375,000 in bonuses Meyer earned for winning the BCS national title, SEC title and finishing in the top 10, he pocketed $3.625 million.

The Florida athletic department has contributed $17.3 million to the university since Meyer's arrival on campus in 2005.

He's also made a $1 million commitment to UF's Florida Opportunity Scholars Program, which was created by school president Machen to provide financial assistance to first-generation, financially disadvantaged students working toward a bachelor's degree.

Meyer and Florida men's basketball coach Billy Donovan agreed to lead that charge last year. The goal is to raise $50 million.

"I believe that Urban Meyer is the best at what he does," Machen said. "He demands excellence of his players on the field and in the classroom. Not only did the University of Florida win a national championship in January, but all 13 seniors earned degrees and the 2008 football team tied an SEC-league record with 37 players named to the SEC academic honor roll. We're proud he's a Gator."

Florida had been sensitive to recent economic cuts at the university and hadn't rushed to beef up Meyer's deal, even after the Gators won their second BCS national title in three years this past January.

In fact, most of the chatter this offseason centered around rumors that the Gators may eventually lose Meyer to Notre Dame.

A couple of different times, Meyer attempted to quell that talk after saying on a radio talk show last year that Notre Dame was his dream job.

Then Machen said in May at the SEC spring meetings that Meyer deserved to be the highest paid coach in the SEC, adding, "He's the best."

It's difficult to argue with his resumé.

The Gators are 44-9 during Meyer's first four seasons in Gainesville, tied for the third best nationally during that span.

In addition to bringing home championships, Meyer has also consistently beaten the teams that truly count.

Against the Gators' four biggest rivals -- Georgia, Florida State, Miami and Tennessee -- he's 12-1.

And in winning two national titles in his first eight years as a head coach, he's accomplished something many of college football's greats never did.

Such legendary names as Bear Bryant, Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes, Lou Holtz, Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden and Tom Osborne failed to win any national titles during their first eight years as a head coach.

Chris Low covers SEC football for ESPN.com. Information from ESPN.com's Tim Griffin was used in this report.

[Tuck4Bama]

Does anyone, other than me, think that is is time for a salary cap for college coaches?

[boilerblonde]

Originally Posted by Tuck4Bama

Does anyone, other than me, think that is is time for a salary cap for college coaches?

These coaches make WAY more money for their school than the school pays them. I do, however, think it's immoral for coaches to be making 4-6 million dollars a year! Three million dollar bonus for Bob Stoops? Last year he made $6 million+ in one year!

[Miz+Zou]

Its The Colleges Money I Guess They Can Do What They Want But On The Other Hand It Isn't Even Close To Fair For a School Like Utah State Or Northern Iowa There Does Need To Be A Salary Cap.

[boilerblonde]

Originally Posted by Miz+Zou

Its The Colleges Money I Guess They Can Do What They Want But On The Other Hand It Isn't Even Close To Fair For a School Like Utah State Or Northern Iowa There Does Need To Be A Salary Cap.

You get what you pay for.

Money is an incentive. It's basic economics. A coach will work his whole life to be a mutli-million dollar coach at a prestigious college. Maybe he deserves it when he gets there.