Longshot Auburn Tigers To Move Forward Without Gus Malzahn

• The Auburn Tigers have fired head coach Gus Malzahn after finishing the 2020 season with a record of 6-4.
• Malzahn led the Tigers to a 67-35 record over eight years including an SEC Championship, and BCS National Championship game appearance.
• Malzahn is owed $21 million in buyout money of his contract.

AUBURN, Ala. – Following their win on Saturday, the Auburn Tigers have fired Gus Malzahn after eight years as the head coach of the football team.

The news came Sunday that Malzahn will not be finishing out the season in Auburn, and would be bought out of his $49 million contract. Malzahn had just signed a seven-year extension in 2017 and will be paid over $21 million in buyout money.

The Tigers finished the regular season with a 24-10 win over Mississippi State. A video of Malzahn dancing with players in the visitors’ locker room surfaced on social media.

Less than 24 hours later, Malzahn would be without a job.

The Tigers finished the season 6-4, with disappointing losses to South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Georgia.

Malzahn’s saving grace has been his performance against in-state rival Alabama, with two wins over the program in the last five years. The Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers 42-12 this season.

Malzahn was 38-26 in SEC play at Auburn, and 2-5 in bowl games. Auburn also had +6600 National Championship odds at legal sports betting sites heading into this last weekend.

“After evaluating the state of the Auburn football program, we’ve decided that it was time to make a change in leadership,” said Allen Greene, Auburn’s athletic director. “We appreciate everything that Gus did for the program over the last eight seasons. We will begin a search immediately for a coach that can help the Auburn program consistently compete at the highest level.”

Defense coordinator Kevin Steele will finish the season as interim coach. With many college football teams on the hunt for coaches this offseason, it will be interesting to see who is leading the Tigers into 2021.

News tags: Auburn | College Football | Gus Malzahn | SEC