Report: Alabama Football GM Courtney Morgan Signs Record Contract amid USC Rumors
Report: Alabama Football GM Courtney Morgan Signs Record Contract amid USC Rumors
Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan has agreed to a historic contract extension to remain in his role with the program after receiving interest from USC.
Per ESPN’s Eli Lederman, Morgan will be the highest-paid front office figure in college football under his new three-year deal that averages $825,000 annually.
Morgan’s contract comes after ESPN’s Jake Trotter reported on Aug. 1 that Texas Tech and James Blanchard agreed to a two-year deal worth $800,000 total that was believed to make him one of the highest-paid general managers in college football.
Matt Zenitz of 247Sports first reported details of Morgan’s contract, adding that he had been pursued by USC for a football president role.
Morgan spent the past two seasons working as director of player personnel and general manager at Washington with head coach Kalen DeBoer.
After DeBoer was hired by the Crimson Tide to replace Nick Saban, Morgan was the first official hire by the new head coach when he joined the program on Feb. 23.
“Courtney is such an important part of our program,” DeBoer said at the time of Morgan’s hiring. “He has great relationships across the country and is an essential part of helping us recruit and evaluate talent both at the high school level and in the transfer portal. Courtney is an important pillar in what we are trying to accomplish at Alabama, and I am very excited to be able to bring him to Tuscaloosa.”
Morgan’s tasks as general manager include managing Alabama’s roster, along with overseeing and directing daily operations of the personnel and recruiting departments.
Lederman noted Morgan’s original contract with Alabama paid him $500,000 annually, but USC attempted to hire him “to a similar personnel position” earlier this summer.
ESPN’s Alex Scarborough noted in July 2021 that director of player personnel has become a crucial role within athletic departments following the adoption of name, image and likeness rules in college football.
Prior to his work at Alabama and Washington, Morgan was UCLA’s director of player development in 2013 and 2014. He also worked at Fresno State when DeBoer was the program’s head coach from 2020 to ’21.
