Gators Welcome Back Donovan In A Big Way, Plan To Pay Him More Than Meyer

Last week it looked like Billy Donovan had left Gainesville for the NBA. Now he's back, and his new deal will pay him more than head football coach Urban Meyer.

Both coaches have been offered new contracts at the same time, and Donovan's extra championship seems to add a little more value. Donovan is reportedly going to be paid $3.5 million per year over six years(with an optional 7th), and Meyer's contract is setup as $3.25 million over six years.

Both are nice increases for the coaches, Donovan had been making $1.7 million per year, and Meyer had originally signed a contract worth $2 million(guaranteed + incentives) per year. However, I am bit surprised that at a school where football has traditionally been king the head basketball coach will be getting paid slightly more than the head football coach. I always believed that there was a ceiling of sorts in place for the salary of the basketball coach that would keep him from being paid as much, or more, than the football coach. It appears that I was wrong in that assumption. In any case, both coaches are reaping the benefits of their recent championships.