Gus Malzahn will stay with the Auburn Tigers football team
By Abbey Giese
After speculation that Auburn Tigers football coach Gus Malzahn would leave for the Arkansas job, the head coach agreed to a seven-year deal with the Tigers.
While all of the attention that has been focused on the Tennessee Volunteers’ endless coaching search, little has been said about who could be the next coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Many speculated the Auburn Tigers football coach Gus Malzahn would leave Auburn for the job.
However, sources told ESPN’s Chris Low that Malzahn had agreed to a seven-year deal for a total of $49 million with the Tigers on Sunday.
Reporters asked Malzahn about his future with Auburn after the Tigers lost the SEC Championship to the Georgia Bulldogs 28-7 on Saturday. The coach stated that he wanted to stay at Auburn, but until Sunday his status with the program was unclear.
Gus Malzahn: “I want to be the head coach at Auburn.”
— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) December 3, 2017
Does that mean you will be?
“I want to be."
Malzahn is from Arkansas, and he was the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator in 2006. He was also the head coach at Arkansas State for the 2012 season before Auburn hired him as head coach.
Even though many fans and reporters expected Malzahn to return to his home state, he has many reasons to stay with the Tigers.
Auburn has had winning seasons every year since the Tigers hired the current head coach. Over five seasons, Auburn has also won the West division of the SEC twice under Malzahn, and the Tigers have won an SEC Championship with the current head coach. Auburn has also been bowl eligible for five straight seasons, including a BCS National Championship appearance in 2013.
Malzahn has also been an excellent recruiter for the Tigers. Auburn has consistently had top 10 recruiting classes since Malzahn took over as head coach.
"We have worked very hard to create something here. We have a great foundation for the future. I'm the head coach at Auburn and I'm looking forward to seeing where this can go."
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 3, 2017
- Gus Malzahn https://t.co/oZAf6n98b2
Arkansas is a program that desperately needs to be rebuilt. It will take some time for the next coach to develop a program that is anywhere close to what Malzhan has built at Auburn.
More from Southbound and Down
- Texas A&M vs. Auburn: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
- 3 Up’s, 3 Down’s from Georgia’s 24-14 Win Over South Carolina
- Ole Miss Football: Looking back at the Rebels career of Zedrick Woods
- Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
- “Horns Down” will not be a Penalty in the SEC
Malzahn is clearly confident about the Tigers’ future. If he had decided to go to Arkansas, he would have had to start from scratch. But at Auburn, he already has most of the resources he needs to push the program forward.