Gus Malzahn

Malzahn joined Houston Nutt's staff on December 9, 2005, as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach,[8] following an impressive five-year run at Springdale High School capped by one of the most dominant seasons by any high school in 2005. Given that much of Springdale High's football talent decided to follow Malzahn to Arkansas and the fact that Malzahn had never coached in college, many questioned what Houston Nutt's motives were. Malzahn was part of the Razorbacks 2006 season in which they won the SEC Western Division championship. However, their season ended with three straight losses to LSU, Florida in the SEC Championship Game, and Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl to finish with a 10–4 record.

There was a widely reported tension between Houston Nutt's reliance on the ground game (which turned out to be one of the best running games in the nation in 2006) and Malzahn's philosophy of spreading the field with a no-huddle offense. The poor ending of the season only added stress to the already tense coaching relationship. Malzahn was named the National Offensive Coordinator of the Year by Rivals.com.

Despite this tension, the 2006 season served as a breakout for running backs Darren McFadden (1,647 yards with 14 TD) and Felix Jones (1,168 yards with 6 TD).[9] Wide receiver Marcus Monk had 962 yards receiving with 11 touchdowns despite catching passes from two quarterbacks.

In January 2007, Malzahn received an offer from the University of Tulsa and his friend, new head coach Todd Graham. He took the Tulsa job to be offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Shortly after, both Mustain and Williams decided to transfer to the University of Southern California.

During the 2007 season, Malzahn emerged as one of the premier offensive coordinators in the nation, as Tulsa ranked first in the nation in total yards per game, ahead of Texas Tech and Hawaii, and with a more balanced attack than both teams.[10] The Golden Hurricane also ranked 3rd in the nation in passing[11] and led their conference in scoring. Tulsa became the first team in NCAA history to have a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and three 1,000-yard receivers in a single season.[12][13]

After the regular season, Malzahn interviewed for the open position at Arkansas once Nutt resigned in November 2007.[14]

In 2008, Tulsa was once again the nation's most prolific attack, leading with nearly 7,980 total yards of offense averaging 570 yards per game.[15] The Golden Hurricane were ranked second in the nation in scoring behind Oklahoma, scoring over 47 points per game.[16] Tulsa not only ranked second in the nation in scoring that year, but finished with the second highest scoring offense in the history of major college football. The offense was also the nation's most balanced attack, ranking fifth in the nation in rushing[17] and 9th in passing.[18] The Tulsa quarterbacks finished third in the nation in passing efficiency, behind only Oklahoma and Texas.[19]

Malzahn was named the offensive coordinator at Auburn University by first year head coach Gene Chizik on December 28, 2008.[20] Under Malzahn, Auburn made significant improvements over the previous season's offensive production; the Tigers finished the season ranked 16th in total offense (2nd in the SEC against all opponents) with just under 432 yards per game[21] and 17th in scoring with over 33 points per game[22] after being tied for 110th in the nation in scoring the previous season.[23] Although he still made significant improvements in his first year, against SEC competition Auburn managed 377.1 total yards a game which placed them 4th in the SEC (behind Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss).[24] His first season broke the Auburn single season total offense record previously set by the undefeated 2004 team. Head coach Gene Chizik had stressed prior to the season that he intended to focus on the run game which showed great improvement as well; the rushing offense finished the season ranked 13th in the nation with 212 yards per game[25] after being ranked 69th prior to the new coaching staff's arrival.[26] Passing numbers also improved under the new offensive scheme, with the passing efficiency ranking ending up 22nd nationally[27] after being ranked 106th in 2008.[28] Senior quarterback Chris Todd set a single-season touchdown record at Auburn and finished the season with a passer rating of 145.73, ranking him 18th in the nation.[29] During the 2009 season, Auburn's offense under Malzahn, produced 120 plays of 15 yards or more, nearly doubling the 62 compiled in 2008.

Malzahn with Gene Chizik in 2018.

In 2010, Malzahn's offense, led by Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton at quarterback, helped Auburn achieve an undefeated record, a No. 1 national ranking after the regular season[30] and a berth in the BCS Championship game, played on January 10, 2011. Auburn led the SEC in scoring offense, total offense, rushing offense, pass efficiency, first downs and third down conversions on its way to a 13–0 record and a 56–17 victory over South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game. Malzahn was awarded the 2010 Broyles Award, recognizing him as the top assistant coach in the nation. Auburn went on to win the 2011 BCS National Championship Game against Oregon.

In 2011, ESPN selected Malzahn as one of the best recruiters in the Southeastern Conference.[31]

On December 13, 2011, Malzahn left Auburn to accept the position of head football coach at Arkansas State University.[32] In his first and only year at Arkansas State, Malzahn led the team to a 9–3 record (not including the Bowl Game) and a Conference Championship with a win over Middle Tennessee State, 45–0. One of Malzahn's players, Don Jones, was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2013 draft and made the team as a safety.

Quarterback Ryan Aplin showcased Malzahn's evolving spread dual attack by throwing for 3,342 yards with 24 TD and running for 438 yards with 6 more TD.[33] RB David Oku would add 1,061 yards with 16 TD and WR J. D. McKissic had 103 catches for 1,022 yards with five touchdowns.

As previous head coach Gene Chizik gets fired, Malzahn is chosen to be the new head coach at Auburn. In the 2013 Iron Bowl, Auburn defeated Alabama when a short field goal attempt by Alabama was returned by Auburn's Chris Davis from the end zone for a 109-yd touchdown (known as the Kick Six game) as Auburn won 34-28.

Three years later in 2016, Auburn starts off 1-2. Somehow, in the following week, Auburn beat LSU 18-13 due to LSU not snapping the ball before the game clock ran out.

In 2018, Auburn starts off undefeated but then loses to LSU.

In 2019, Malzahn and Auburn start undefeated, but got upset by #10 Florida Gators. Auburn is 6-1, but loses 23-20 to LSU and #4 Georgia Bulldogs. However, Auburn defeats #5 Alabama 48-45.

In 2020, Gus Malzahn went 6-4 and was released in December.[34]

On February 15, 2021, Malzahn was named the head coach at UCF, reuniting him with former Arkansas State athletic director Terry Mohajir.[35] On September 2, Malzahn won his first game with the Knights, defeating Boise State, 36–31. Malzahn concluded the regular season going 8–4. He led the Knights to a 29–17 victory over in state rival Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl, going for a 9–4 overall in his first season with UCF.[36]