AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has agreed to become the next head coach at Arkansas State, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday night.
AStateNation.com, a Scout.com/Fox Sports affiliate, reported the news first on Tuesday night. Sports Illustrated’s George Schroeder and the Birmingham News’ Charles Goldberg confirmed the report.
Malzahn, who has repeatedly said he would like to be a head coach if the right situation arose, will reportedly be introduced as Arkansas State’s next head coach at a press conference in Jonesboro on Wednesday afternoon.
It is not clear yet whether or not Malzahn will be Auburn’s offensive coordinator in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
The Birmingham News reported that Malzahn will make $850,000-per-year to replace Hugh Freeze, who was hired at Ole Miss after leading Arkansas State to a 10-2 record last year. The move represents a pay cut for Malzahn, who was the nation’s highest-paid assistant last season at $1.3 million.
Malzahn’s departure creates a void at both coordinator positions. Former defensive coordinator Ted Roof left last week to take the same spot at Central Florida.
Malzahn reportedly turned down offers from Vanderbilt and Maryland last year after winning the Frank Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach. He had been a candidate for head coaching jobs at North Carolina and Kansas in recent weeks before those jobs went to Larry Fedora and Charlie Weis, respectively.
By taking the job at Arkansas State, Malzahn is returning to the state where he built his reputation.
Malzahn is a native of Fort Smith, Ark., who spent 14 years as a high school coach in Arkansas and won three state championships. In 2006, Malzahn was hired by Houston Nutt to be the offensive coordinator, and after one year in Fayetteville, Malzahn moved over to Tulsa.
Hired by Auburn head coach Gene Chizik as part of Chizik’s original staff, Malzahn took a Tigers offense that had been ranked 108th in total offense in 2008 and remade it into an offense that finished 16th in the country in 2009.
Malzahn’s offense hit the height of its powers with Cam Newton at quarterback in 2010. Behind the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Auburn finished the season ranked seventh in the nation in total offense and set nine school records.
But the Tigers struggled with an inexperienced core of players on offense in 2011.
Using three quarterbacks and battling injuries, Auburn’s offense struggled all season, averaging only 243.8 yards and 12.8 points against the five defenses on Auburn’s schedule ranked in the top 10 in total defense- Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Malzahn’s offense finished the season ranked 104th in the country.