Malzahn on Arkansas job rumors: ‘I’m worried about the dern SEC West Championship’

AUBURN  – Gus Malzahn might just have perfectly summed up life as a head football coach in the Southeastern Conference.

Following Auburn’s 42-14 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, Malzahn was asked to address the weeklong rumors of reports that Arkansas boosters and administration officials were more than interested in bringing the Tigers head coach back to his home state as the next head coach of the Razorbacks program.

Malzahn, who ran his record in nearly five years as the Auburn head coach to 44-20, was asked if he chooses to ignore the rumors he’s a candidate for an opening that still has Bret Bielema employed at for the time being.

“Yeah. One week you're getting fired and the other week you're taking another job,” Malzahn said.

Citing unnamed sources, Sports Illustrated reporter Bruce Feldman posted a story that “big-money boosters at Arkansas and members of the university's board of trustees have been pushing for the Razorbacks to go after Auburn coach Gus Malzahn to be their next head coach." This story duck tailed news out of the Razorbacks program that the board of trustees had agreed to terminate athletic director Jeff Long earlier this week.

Arkansas (4-6) was eliminated from bowl eligibility Saturday with a 28-21 home loss to Mississippi State. Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema is close to completing his fifth year in Fayetteville, Ark.

According to the USA Today database on Football Bowl Subdivision coaching salaries, Malzahn’s buyout if he chooses to voluntarily leave or is terminated by Auburn officials is $6,898,958 and it’s highly likely that Auburn administration would force that payment to be met in full in compensation for Malzahn’s departure.

This attitude is certainly a different tenor then was suggested by fans after Auburn’s second loss of 2017 season at LSU. Malzahn said immediately the loss “wasn’t the end of the world” after blowing a 20-0 lead in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, leading to fans and analysts of the program to more than suggest a change in leadership could be forthcoming.

The rumors of Malzahn’s job tenure at Auburn were heightened after Jay Jacobs announced early this month that he would step down from his AD role on June 1, 2018, or sooner if his successor is in place. Auburn president Steven Leath said Friday he’ll “move fairly quickly” to identify a search committee and hire a new athletic director to replace Jacobs.

“I’m not,” Malzahn said on Oct. 17 when asked about his own concerns about his job security. “The only thing I’m worried about is beating Arkansas and coming back and getting healed up for a week and try to finish this thing with the goals that we started to.”

More:Gus Malzahn on matchup vs. No. 2 Georgia: ‘Not about me’

Just over a month after making those comments about his job status, No. 6 Auburn (9-2) has won four games in a row including a 40-17 victory over then-No. 2 Georgia, who was at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings. One month after questions swirled about Malzahn’s future, there were reports Malzahn would be leaving on his own accord and again leaving doubt among all who follow the Tigers' program.

USA Today sports analyst and sports betting handicapper Danny Sheridan recently suggested on "The Paul Finebaum Show" that Malzahn may still be coaching for his job on Nov. 25 in the winner-take-all Iron Bowl matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium against No. 1 Alabama (2:30 p.m., CBS).

“If Auburn fans want to accept mediocrity, and that to me is a good season every four years at a crisp $5 million a year, then that's their man (Malzahn), Sheridan said on "The Paul Finebaum Show" on Nov. 15. "If Gus Malzahn loses to Alabama, he will be fired or he'll go to Arkansas or he'll go somewhere. If Alabama puts a whipping on them, which I don't know they're capable of, then he might be gone before the sunrise.”

With an eight-word statement, Malzahn attempted to downplay any further rumors and suggestion that his attention is anywhere but the top ranked team in the country in Tuscaloosa.

“I'm worried about the dern SEC West championship,” Malzahn said.