Buster Faulkner: Salary| Florida| Wife| Son| Contract extension| Hire

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Who is Buster Faulkner

Buster Faulkner is a veteran American‐college-football coach, currently hired as offensive coordinator of Florida Gators (SEC), beginning in 2026.

Born September 19, 1981, in Lilburn, Georgia.
Played college football as a quarterback at Valdosta State Blazers (2000–2003) and for one season at Texas A&M–Commerce Lions (2004).
Has spent ~20 years on college coaching staffs, including 13 seasons as an offensive coordinator at various schools before Florida.

Upon his hire in 2023, his base salary was $750,000.
In 2024, salary rose to $800,000.
In July 2025, he got a contract extension through January 31, 2027, with a new annual base salary of $1,250,000.
Additionally he earned a one-time incentive payment of $250,000 for remaining through the 2025 regular season.
According to some reports, his new deal was valued at $1.5 million per year — making it the largest assistant-coach contract in Georgia Tech history.

Despite the 2025 extension, Faulkner has reportedly accepted the offensive coordinator position with Florida, joining new head coach Jon Sumrall’s staff for the 2026 season.
As per his contract with Georgia Tech, since he is leaving before the contract’s March 2027 end, he is required to pay back 100% of his base salary.

The move was reported in December 2025, with Faulkner set to take over offensive coordinator duties at Florida.
His hiring comes after engineering one of the most productive offenses in college football over his three seasons with Georgia Tech — the offense ranked 12th nationally in total offense in 2025, averaging roughly 466.2 yards per game.
Florida’s staff under Sumrall is being assembled as a fresh start, and bringing in an offensive mind like Faulkner signals serious ambitions on offense.

Faulkner is married to his wife, Tia Faulkner.
They have three children: a son, Harrison Faulkner, and two daughters, Hadley Faulkner and Haisley Faulkner.
Notably, Harrison led his high-school (North Oconee) to a state championship in 2024 — making Buster and Harrison the first father-son duo in Georgia High School Association history to both win state titles as starting quarterbacks (Buster had done so in 1997 at Parkview HS).

Faulkner’s offense at Georgia Tech dramatically improved over his time: from a sluggish unit before he arrived, to top-tier national rankings under his direction.
The reported large salary and extension at Georgia Tech show how valued he was — yet the Florida job, likely with new challenges and opportunities (fresh team, SEC competition, greater visibility), was compelling enough to prompt the move.
For Florida, hiring someone with proven ability to elevate offenses signals a serious push to revamp their attack and competitiveness under new leadership.

Official announcement from Florida and contract details (salary, term length, incentives) haven’t been fully public — but sources expect the deal to be finalized in coming days.
For fans and analysts: Pay attention to how Faulkner adapts to the new squad, and whether Florida’s offense sees similar or improved results under his play-calling.
For Faulkner’s legacy: this move could position him as one of the top up-and-coming offensive minds in college football, possibly opening doors for a future head-coach role.

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