Auburn coach Gus Malzahn receives dreaded vote of confidence from AD
Auburn's athletic director said Gus Malzahn will be around "for a long, long time," which sounds good, but it's not the first time an AD has said that before firing a coach
By
Tom Fornelli
•
2 min read
Heading into the 2014 season, Gus Malzahn was a hero at Auburn.
He was the coach who helped lead Auburn to a national title as offensive coordinator in 2010 only to leave for a head coaching job before returning to replace the coach he once worked under, Gene Chizik. In his first season as the man in charge at Auburn, the Tigers played for a national title, coming up just short against Florida State in the final BCS Championship Game.
Things haven't gone as well since, though, as Auburn has followed Malzahn's 12-2 debut season with a record of 15-11 over the last two seasons, 6-10 record in SEC play. All of this has some wondering if Malzahn is on the hot seat entering the 2016 season.
After all, Malzahn replaced a man who was fired less than three years after winning a national title, so it's not insane to think Auburn might pull the same move again for Malzahn.
But not to worry! Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs assured the world that Malzahn is secure in his position while talking to the media at the SEC's Spring Meetings on Wednesday.
"He's our coach and he'll be our coach for a long, long time," Jacobs said. "He's a brilliant offensive mind, took us to two national championships: once as a coordinator, once as a head coach. There's a bunch of schools in this league that would love to be in our position with a guy like him. That's a tough league. This league is tough every day. It doesn't matter what year it is -- year in, year out, how many years you've been here or whatever it may be. There is no doubt about it: he's the right guy for Auburn."
The emphasis added is mine, and I added it for a reason.
You see, the fact that Jacobs is saying Malzahn will be Auburn's coach "for a long, long time" may be more of a death knell than a vote of confidence because it's not the first time Jacobs has said it. I don't just mean the vote of confidence, I mean that exact phrase.
We turn to Auburn fan Mark P. for the evidence.
The complete 'long, long time' trilogy. (H/T @AndyBitterVT) pic.twitter.com/W6wD17ZjwZ
— Mark P (@TheAuburner) June 1, 2016
It might be time to put the house on the market, Gus.
OK, maybe that's a bit aggressive. After all, if Auburn goes 10-2 this season, odds are Malzahn isn't going to lose his job. but with three of Auburn's first four games coming against Clemson, Texas A&M and LSU, well, all I'm saying is Malzahn may want to at least get in touch with a realtor.
