Malzahn hired as next head coach at Auburn
This article was originally published December 4, 2012 at 2:50 p.m. Updated December 4, 2012 at 5:21 p.m.
PHOTO BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Arkansas State head coach Gus Malzahn, from left, quarterback Ryan Aplin and linebacker Nathan Herrold are presented with the Sun Belt Conference trophy following their NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee on Saturday. Malzahn was hired as head coach at Auburn on Tuesday.
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Malzahn leaves Arkansas State for Auburn
Arkansas State head coach Gus Malzahn is leaving after one season to take the vacant coaching job at...
LITTLE ROCK — In the afterglow of helping Arkansas State claim its second-consecutive Sun Belt Conference title, Red Wolves Coach Gus Malzahn is returning to Auburn to take the job held by his former boss.
Multiple sources told to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Tuesday that Malzahn, 47, will leave Arkansas State and return to the Plains to take the helm of the Tigers.
The move comes nine days after former Tigers Coach Gene Chizik was fired in the wake of a 3-9 season. Malzahn served as his offensive coordinator from 2009 until 2011.
ASU released a statement late Tuesday afternoon addressing Malzahn's departure. In the a statement, ASU Chancellor Dr. Tim Hudson said Malzahn informed the school that he would be leaving for the Auburn job and "we appreciate his contributions to our conference championship season and wish him well."
No formal announcement has come from either Arkansas State or Auburn, but sources told the Democrat-Gazette they learned of his intended departure around 2 p.m. Tuesday.
No salary figures for taking over Auburn were available, but Malzahn will have to pay a $700,000 buyout for his four-year contract that currently provides him $850,000 annually.
In a lone season at Arkansas State, Malzahn led the Red Wolves to a 9-3 record, including seven-consecutive victories to end the year, and a berth in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on Jan. 6 against No. 25 Kent State in Mobile, Ala. For the time being, Malzahn will coach the team in the bowl game, according to the release.
With the departure, the Red Wolves will again face a month of bowl preparations with their coaching situation in limbo almost a year to the day after former Coach Hugh Freeze left ASU to take over at Ole Miss.
The release also stated that ASU Athletic Director Terry Muhajir and ASU System President Dr. Charles Welch would begin a search for Malzahn's replacement immediately.
“The back-to-back championships in the Sun Belt Conference make this a very attractive position, and we’re confident we’ll have a lot of interest,” Mohajir said in the release. “This administration, this community and the entire Arkansas State family have demonstrated our commitment to have a nationally prominent intercollegiate athletics program and will continue to do so.”
Comments on: Malzahn hired as next head coach at Auburn
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DoWhat says... December 4, 2012 at 3:05 p.m.
Good - maybe they will remove all of those silly billboards now....
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brado says... December 4, 2012 at 3:06 p.m.
Dang traitor! He has now betrayed the state of Arkansas AGAIN! If he wanted to leave A-State, why didn't he knock on Jeff Long's door? I wish Malzahn would renounce his Arkansas heritage and stay in the state of Alabama!
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TigerInArk says... December 4, 2012 at 3:10 p.m.
Good opportunity for him. No where for Auburn to go but up. Maybe he will hire Nutt as an Asst.
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cdjcord says... December 4, 2012 at 3:17 p.m.
I realize all Coaches use ASU as a stepping stone - but, it's not fair to the players and everyone who supports the Red Wolves...
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jwhill says... December 4, 2012 at 3:33 p.m.
He called and asked for the job at ASU, adamantly maintained he was here to "take this to the next level", and was in it for the long term. Says everything about his (lack of) integrity and honesty.
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snuffy1 says... December 4, 2012 at 3:36 p.m.
you people grow up, what do you expect him to do when he is offered and extra 2 or 3 million a year with a multi million dollar buy out, TURN IT DOWN... HE AIN'T NO FOOL... ask yourself truthfully, what would you do?
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RonalFos says... December 4, 2012 at 3:44 p.m.
It's ok as long as he coaches the bowl game! A clause should be in every coaches contract that has a $10 million penalty for leaving before the last game of the year.
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HotSpringsLawyer says... December 4, 2012 at 3:45 p.m.
At least the players get to enjoy a variety of pretty good coaches.
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Jackabbott says... December 4, 2012 at 3:52 p.m.
Congrats to Gus. Do not like Auburn but Gus deserves it. Can only hope he does not become another Bear Bryant. Arkansas coach making great things happen in Alabama, we have seen this story before.
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SRBROTHERINLAW says... December 4, 2012 at 3:53 p.m.
GO MALZAHN....FAR FAR AWAY
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RBBrittain says... December 4, 2012 at 3:57 p.m.
Good riddance, Gus. Hopefully Bret Bielema's defenses will beat your ego to shreds...
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RBBrittain says... December 4, 2012 at 3:58 p.m.
@Jackabbott: Don't worry; only Nick Saban can become the next Bear.
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outinthesticks says... December 4, 2012 at 4:14 p.m.
JWHILL, couldn't have said it better myself. Coaching is obviously a profession where there is no integrity or character. Would someone explain to me why coaches even bother to sign a contract? They're gone when the next thing comes open, yet when the school wants to get rid of them, it's a multi-million buyout. The big time sports agents have made this thing too much of a one-way street for the coaches.
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outinthesticks says... December 4, 2012 at 4:19 p.m.
brado: I don't think he has to resign his Arkie heritage....he just did. You can only burn bridges so many times. First UA, now ASU. He'd better be successful there, because he darn sure won't be welcome back here.
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tppt2_aol.com says... December 4, 2012 at 4:19 p.m.
This is such BS. Everyone knew this would happen well before the Auburn job came open. These coaches all have no sense of loyalty either to schools or players. The NCAA which is pretty uneven in its application of discipline and standards needs to toughen up on these gypsy coaches. I suggest any time a coach leaves a program he has been at less than 5 years, he be required to pay back every last dime paid to him.
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outinthesticks says... December 4, 2012 at 4:24 p.m.
tppt2: I disagree that everyone knew it would happen. Look at Petersen at Boise State. He has turned down multiple jobs over the past couple of years and may have turned down Fayetteville in the past week. There are a few men of integrity out there, just few and far between.....real far between.
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Jfish says... December 4, 2012 at 4:26 p.m.
This is the very reason that I watch very little college sports anymore. All fans, ASU, UA, etc., are always led to believe that the next hire will be a winner who stands for honesty, integrity, etc., when in fact they are just money-loving hounds who care nothing about the institution or the players. I have much better ways to spend my weekends rather than getting on emotional coaster led by one of these "men". Think about it, would you want one of your kids to play for Petrino, Calipari, Pitino, etc.
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mkm157 says... December 4, 2012 at 4:51 p.m.
Gus has been successful everywhere he has been. I wish him all the success except for the one weekend he plays Hogs. Good luck Gus.
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thankfulheart says... December 4, 2012 at 5:51 p.m.
I can't blame Malzahn for leaving. How many of us would stay at our current job and pass up the opportunity to double, or perhaps triple our salary?
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Ragmop says... December 4, 2012 at 6:06 p.m.
In a logical world Malzahn would have been offered the Arkansas job. There does not seem to be much logic used when it comes to sports however, whether it's paying a coach 10 times as much as the president of the United States or the selection of a new coach.
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RonalFos says... December 4, 2012 at 7:07 p.m.
I understand Malzahn and his staff will be coaching ASU in the GoDaddy bowl. If that is the case, I wish him the best with absolutely no hard feelings.
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LesName says... December 4, 2012 at 8:54 p.m.
I don't think he's all that great.
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jwhill says... December 4, 2012 at 10:01 p.m.
As for G. coaching the Red Wolves in the bowl game, I hope the A.D. and President ask the players whether they want him to be the coach for the game. I watched his news conference at Auburn and he made the same stale, empty statements and promises he made when he asked for and was hired for the job at ASU. As far as I am concerned, Goodbye Gus.
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Bigpop says... December 4, 2012 at 10:13 p.m.
I think Gus has been a class act all along and wish him the (second) best at Auburn. He was screwed over at U of A by Nutt and Frank, and has never said anything but the best about his time at the U. aSu is where the Hogs were in the 50s, get a coach that wins and he moves on, they have made strides and may can keep improving to get and keep..for a while..a good coach and team. I hope so as I want all our Ark folks and teams to excel! (still no game with State)
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Vickie55 says... December 5, 2012 at 8:15 a.m.
I agree with Bibpop. I said at the time the Razorbacks should have kept Gus and sent Nutt packing. It's pretty impressive when you remember that just a few years ago Gus was a high school coach.
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Vickie55 says... December 5, 2012 at 8:16 a.m.
My apologies, BigPop on misspelling your name.
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