Gus wins (Decison made)

[ToomersStreet 795]

The winner: Malzahn heads safely toward the 2019 season

ByPhillip Marshall 14 minutes ago

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Gus Malzahn is expected to be Auburn's coach in 2019. (Photo: Jason Caldwell/Inside The Auburn Tigers--AUTigers)

AUBURN, Alabama – After a week of uncertainty, negotiations and recriminations, Auburn head football coach Gus Malzahn has emerged as the apparent winner.

Malzahn told his assistants at a Sunday morning staff meeting he was not going anywhere. Other sources confirmed that president Steven Leath and trustee Raymond Harbert, who represented Leath in negotiations with Malzahn, will move forward with Malzahn.

Thus ended one of the more tumultuous weeks in recent Auburn athletics history.

After a 7-5 season ended last Saturday with a 52-21 loss at Alabama, Malzahn was taking heavy criticism. Leath and Harbert wanted Malzahn to accept a reduction in his buyout going forward and restrictions on paying assistant coaches. What Malzahn agreed or didn’t agree to is not certain.

Leath and Harbert withstood pressure from numerous corners and stood by their man.

With a game remaining against Purdue in the Music City Bowl, Malzahn is 52-27 overall and 28-20 in the SEC through six seasons. This season started out with high expectations and ended in disappointment. After a 30-24 loss to Tennessee, the calls for change grew loud.

After Auburn bounced back with a 31-16 win at Ole Miss, athletics director Allen Greene said that Malzahn would be Auburn’s coach in 2019. In an interview with AuburnUndercover, Leath said he supported Greene’s statement.

After back-to-back losses at Georgia and Alabama to end the season, anger over the seven-year, $49 million contract with 75 percent that Leath, with Harbert’s support, gave Malzahn last December boiled over. Fans and donors were complained and complained loudly.

But now the deal is done.

9COMMENTS

Malzahn won an SEC championship and took Auburn to the BCS Championship Game in 2013, his first season as head coach. In 2017, he led the Tigers to the West Division championship and wins over Alabama and Georgia when they were ranked No. 1 nationally.

Since signing his new contract, Malzahn is 7-7 overall and 4-7 against power-five teams and Central Florida

[PoetTiger 1,896]

Here comes another one...if they don’t want him. Fire him. But enough with these articles. If he is still employed it must mean two things to me. One - the complainers don’t want to fork over the 32 million. Two - Harbert/Leath ain’t ready to part with him. 

[AUwent 3,747]

So is he on the hot seat next year? Or would seven wins buy him an eighth year?

[PoetTiger 1,896]

2 minutes ago, AUwent said:

So is he on the hot seat next year? Or would seven wins buy him an eighth year?

I think seven gets him canned 

[Eustace Conway 8]

Those two clowns should be held accountable for that contract. This is a joke and a travesty. Leath should have been fired two weeks ago. Auburn's administration is a a laughing stock clown.show. Why do we even have an AD? Personally I am done until Malzahn is gone and those responsible for that contract are held accountable.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,225]

If I was Allen Greene I would haul ass just as quick as I could find a way out.  

[NCTiger1982 168]

Leadership just showed they are NOT committed to  SECC/NCs. The money and their egos rank ahead of what is best for Auburn. I can now see how JJ was a perfect fit for these guys and why JJ lasted so long making numbnut decision after numbnut decision. I have asked before, but how in the hell have our BOTs been so successful in biz ? The Auburn AD is big biz and if they make decisions in their own biz like they make for us in the AD I don't know how they have not imploded. I know they love Auburn but daaaaaamn !   JJ was loving Auburn to death and these guys are on a mission to finish the job.   

[alexava 6,973]

all coaches are always on the hot seat.

[doverstutts 1,643]

15 minutes ago, Eustace Conway said:

Those two clowns should be held accountable for that contract. This is a joke and a travesty. Leath should have been fired two weeks ago. Auburn's administration is a a laughing stock clown.show. Why do we even have an AD? Personally I am done until Malzahn is gone and those responsible for that contract are held accountable.

after a 58 year year consecutive game streak, I am done also...the streak will end with the bowl game....this is so sad but i won't let it affect my life in last few years of my life

[around4ever 4,139]

Not buying season tickets next season will get their attention.  I would hate to see that but I can't believe we get to watch the bus with flat tires again next year. 

[Zeek 16,617]

Well only a few things we can do at this point to salvage the future of Auburn football. A lot of it focuses on facilities being improved.

• Football only Facility (FoF) needs to have been built yesterday. We're behind on the facilities arms race by quite a bit. It's ridiculous how we've pussyfooted around with this project for what feels like several years. The locker room was underwhelming and the FoF needs to be stellar. Don't let Gus get involved with the design please. Just don't. Give him back his $2 million if you have to do so. 
• Jordan-Hare Stadium - Brick the daggum thing in like we all know would work out well. Have people donate and get their names on the brick if you have to do so for fundraising. I'd buy a brick and I'm sure many others would as well. There are other improvements that have been discussed ad nauseum. Personally, I wouldn't mind increasing the space for each guest and lowering the total number of seats. Would also be fine with adding more to the upper section, increasing room (maybe individual chairs with backs), and keep the number close to the same. We need a jumbotron opposite of the Aubietron and it doesn't have to be that big. Close in the backside of the Aubietron please.
•  We have to fill needs better in recruiting. We have had highly rated classes but we haven't always filled positions of need. Ideally we'll still manage decent recruiting classes for whoever our next coach might be after this nightmare is over.
• Trim the fat in the athletic department.

I'm at the point where I hope Kelly Bryant doesn't come here because I don't want a fluke transfer season to bail out Gus for even longer.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

Hope Gus uses some of his cash to buy a burner phone. 

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

1 minute ago, Zeek said:

Well only a few things we can do at this point to salvage the future of Auburn football. A lot of it focuses on facilities being improved.

• Football only Facility (FoF) needs to have been built yesterday. We're behind on the facilities arms race by quite a bit. It's ridiculous how we've pussyfooted around with this project for what feels like several years. The locker room was underwhelming and the FoF needs to be stellar. Don't let Gus get involved with the design please. Just don't. Give him back his $2 million if you have to do so. 
• Jordan-Hare Stadium - Brick the daggum thing in like we all know would work out well. Have people donate and get their names on the brick if you have to do so for fundraising. I'd buy a brick and I'm sure many others would as well. There are other improvements that have been discussed ad nauseum. Personally, I wouldn't mind increasing the space for each guest and lowering the total number of seats. Would also be fine with adding more to the upper section, increasing room (maybe individual chairs with backs), and keep the number close to the same. We need a jumbotron opposite of the Aubietron and it doesn't have to be that big. Close in the backside of the Aubietron please.
•  We have to fill needs better in recruiting. We have had highly rated classes but we haven't always filled positions of need. Ideally we'll still manage decent recruiting classes for whoever our next coach might be after this nightmare is over.
• Trim the fat in the athletic department.

I'm at the point where I hope Kelly Bryant doesn't come here because I don't want a fluke transfer season to bail out Gus for even longer.

The football complex is a pipe dream now. Same with JHS. 

[augolf1716 21,096]

1 minute ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Hope Gus uses some of his cash to buy a burner phone. 

Maybe two burner phones would help

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I'm off the Gus bus. It must be nice for Alabama to win SEC championships and get in the 4 team playoff and play for another national championship. Mean while, we just keep giving Malzahn another for him to win 7 or 8 games every year.

[I_M4_AU 7,773]

2 minutes ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Hope Gus uses some of his cash to buy a burner phone. 

If you know; what are some of the details of his reworked contact?

[AUcivE09 582]

bama wins another championship, aTm about to become a powerhouse. UGA probably isnt going anywhere, and LSU will always be a factor. We are MissSt. Once in a blue moon we will beat those other 4 teams and typically the MissSt game will decide what kind of bowl game we go to and what side of 7.5 wins we fall on.

[Zeek 16,617]

2 minutes ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

The football complex is a pipe dream now. Same with JHS. 

Then Auburn football is fated for a much more depressing path than many realize. I don't think Leath sees, or cares about, the long term repercussions of what he has done.

[ToomersStreet 795]

4 minutes ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Hope Gus uses some of his cash to buy a burner phone. 

?

[ToomersStreet 795]

Why is Raymond Harbert so big on Gus?

 

[JDUBB4AU 5,102]

As Gus would say this is bull crap

it is what it is . War Eagle and I am behind the team and reluctantly the staff. Guys we can piss and moan or we can deal with it . I’m all in as tubbs would say . 

[Zeek 16,617]

1 minute ago, ToomersStreet said:

Why is Raymond Harbert so big on Gus?

 

Said this in the now locked thread of epic proportions.

It's likely his influence is tied to Leath. But, to be transparent, that's 100% speculation from my end.

[around4ever 4,139]

2 minutes ago, ToomersStreet said:

Why is Raymond Harbert so big on Gus?

 

$32M

[AURealist 2,185]

What about Stoops to Auburn and Gus' New Contract updates by Josh Moon?  

4 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

If you know; what are some of the details of his reworked contact?

We won't know until Josh Moon investigates and reports.  

[PoetTiger 1,896]

Step away from the ledge guys...some of you are scaring me