If Georgia Football beats Auburn this weekend, there is a chance that they do more than just beat their rival, they could send their coach to Arkansas.
It’s been a crazy week or so as in SEC coaching. Florida tried and failed to get Chip Kelly but settled for Dan Mullen. Missippi State and Ole Miss both made safe if uninspired hires. Texas A&M seems to be legitimately pushing for Jimbo Fisher and nobody in the world wants the Tennessee job.
But there is one more job in the SEC that nobody is talking about and that is Arkansas. The Razorbacks fired their head coach almost immediately after their final game of the season. There has been almost no news out of Fayetteville since then as to who is interviewing for the job.
The one thing that we have heard however is that Gus Malzahn, the Auburn head coach is target number 1. Malzahn made his name in Arkansas high school football and his first college job was as the Razorbacks OC. This is his home state and he is a legend there. He wouldn’t have to worry about being on a hot seat every year. An 8 win team that can pull an upset or two would be a heck of an improvement for them right now.
It seems crazy to think that Malzahn will leave Auburn to take a lesser job. Especially after he has had such a successful season on the Plains. But is it really that surprising? Auburn is not actually a very fun team to run. It’s fans think that it’s Bama and they expect a title every single year. That’s problematic because there is more than 1 program that they need to worry about in their own division.
Is the Tigers job all it’s cracked up to be?
At Auburn, Gus is always going to be 1 okish season away from getting fired. It’s not a program that allows coaches to build up and store goodwill for difficult seasons. This is the team that fired Gene Chizik less than a year after he won a national championship. The fans and administration won’t have an issue doing it to Gus or anyone else.
It will be hard to walk away if Auburn wins the SEC and goes to the playoffs. But if they lose, to me it becomes more possible. There is a chance that Malzahn is using Arkansas to negotiate a better deal with Auburn right now, but even if he is, that doesn’t mean he has to take it. Nor does it mean Auburn have to give in to his demands, especially if he loses on Saturday.
The SEC West is a gauntlet and if Fisher heads to College Station, it’s going to get even harder. Fisher is a legit top 5 coach and he’s a recruiting guru. Imagine the kind of talent he is going to pull if he’s based in Texas. The rosters he’ll be putting together will be loaded.
It’s not just the Aggies though, LSU is still and will always be a bigger program than Auburn. Coach O might be iffy in game, but he can recruit like heck and that team is going to be better next season. In short, there are 3 bigger programs that Auburn in their own division but their fans expect them to win it every year. The gap between expectation and reality makes it tough for coaches to survive for long.
So what happens?
While this article has mainly been a way to poke some fun at Auburn fans before this weeks game, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him leave. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but if UGA wins this Saturday, I think there’s a 50/50 chance. He might have a better chance to win a natty with the Tigers, but if he’s thinking about coaching somewhere for 10 years and giving his family a stable life, he’s heading home.
Gus is in a unique situation and its one that few coaches get. He himself will only get this chance once. He has a legitimately good team and he could win some titles at Auburn, but we all know that he’s not going out on his terms. When the end comes, he’s getting fired and it’s going to hurt. We don’t know when it’s going to be, but Auburn is going to spit him out eventually, that’s what they do.
On the other hand, Arkansas just gave Brett Beilima 5 years and he was terrible. They would be fine giving their local hero 10 if he brought them just two double digit win seasons. He can raise his family with people he cares about and be a hero. If he wins just 1 SEC title in that time, he’d be a legend and in fairness, he should be, that’s not going to be easy.
Next: How can UGA overcome Auburn on offence?
Wherever Gus decides to go next year, the fact is the UGA can help him make that decision this Saturday. If they beat the brakes off of Auburn, Gus might decide to quit before the wolves come for him again. Either way, it’s nice to think that the Dawgs have a little something extra to play for this week.