Gus Malzahn agrees to new 7-year deal to stay with Auburn

AUBURN – Gus Malzahn isn’t going anywhere in the near future.

Sources familiar with the contract negotiations confirmed to the Montgomery Advertiser Sunday evening the Tigers' fifth-year head coach has agreed in principle on a new seven-year contract with Auburn University administration to remain in his current job.

“Strength and stability go hand-in-hand, and we have both in Coach Malzahn,” said Auburn president Steven Leath in a statement released Sunday evening. “We’re excited for the future of Auburn football. This means a lot to the Auburn family.”

ESPN college football reporter Chris Low reported Sunday evening that according to unnamed sources Malzahn's new deal is worth a total of $49 million, and Malzahn will make more than $7 million in the final year of the deal. 

The contract, which has not been released to the public or media, reportedly includes more years added on the deal, a significant raise from the $4,726,960 figure Malzahn received this past season on a deal that was set until 2020. Malzahn's salary figure for the 2017 season didn’t include bonuses from winning the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference and reaching a New Year’s Six bowl game. Malzahn's new contract also reportedly includes a bigger buyout if Auburn chooses to terminate the deal before its conclusion.

Brandon Marcello, a senior editor and reporter for Auburn Undercover, which is an Auburn affiliate of 247Sports.com, was the first to report this news Sunday evening.

USA Today reporter George Schroeder confirmed the news via unnamed sources close to the situation.

When addressed with questions about his employment, Malzahn continued to stick to a familiar refrain.

“I'm planning on being at Auburn," Malzahn said Sunday evening during the Peach Bowl media teleconference. "I told them last night that's where I wanted to be and nothing has changed."

Malzahn’s answer Sunday came 16 hours after he addressed rumors of a pending offer from the University of Arkansas and a contract negotiation with Leath. In both instances the Tigers' head coach hasn’t been completely definitive that he’ll be coaching at Auburn in the 2018 season.

More:‘Nothing has changed’: Malzahn sticks with 'planning to be at Auburn' refrain

More:So much good surrounding Auburn whether Malzahn stays or not

Malzahn, who was one win away from his second SEC title Saturday and Auburn’s first trip to the College Football Playoff bracket, has been the source of several reports regarding the opening in his native Arkansas where he was born, became a walk-on wide receiver for the Razorbacks and is a member of the state Hall of Fame after a historical high school coaching career.

“I'm happy at Auburn. We have great players. I love my players,” Malzahn said. “As I said before this game, we worked extremely hard to get here to this point, and we've got a very good foundation built, and I think the best is yet to come.”

Following a 10-3 season that included a Western Division championship and a 28-7 loss in the SEC Championship Game, Auburn will play the only undefeated team left in college football, Central Florida (13-0), in the 2018 Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day.

More:Gus Malzahn reiterates desire to be at Auburn in 2018 and beyond

Malzahn, who has a 45-21 record at Auburn, has expressed irritation over several media reports linking him to the opening at Arkansas even before school officials announced the termination of head coach Bret Bielema on Nov. 24.

With Kevin Sumlin, Bret Bielema and Dan Mullen all changing jobs in the league, Malzahn is now tied for the second-longest tenured head coach in the SEC with Kentucky’s Mark Stoops. Nick Saban’s current 11-year stretch at Alabama is the second-longest of any Power 5 Conference program behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. Malzahn is also the only current SEC head coach to defeat Saban after Auburn won the Iron Bowl in 2017 and this season.

Jimmy Sexton, Malzahn’s agent, has been busy once again this offseason as the college football coaching carousel begins to circle. Jimbo Fisher, a Sexton client, agreed this week to leave Florida State for a reportedly guaranteed 10-year contract with Texas A&M worth $75 million total of the course of the deal. Willie Taggart, another Sexton client, could choose very soon to either take Fisher’s place at FSU or remain at the University of Oregon for presumably a larger and lengthier contract. Dan Mullen, another Sexton client, agreed to leave Mississippi State this past week for a new deal to become the next head coach at the University of Florida.

More:Auburn to face undefeated Central Florida in Peach Bowl

This reporting Sunday evening on Malzahn’s new deal is certainly a different tenor than was suggested by fans a few months ago after Auburn’s second loss of 2017 season at LSU on Oct. 14. Malzahn said immediately afterward the loss “wasn’t the end of the world” after blowing a 20-0 lead in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and leading to fans and analysts of the program to more than suggest a change in leadership could be forthcoming soon.

Auburn managed to win five straight games, including two against previous top-ranked teams in the College Football Playoff rankings before losing 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday.

The rumors of Malzahn’s job tenure at Auburn were heightened after Jay Jacobs announced in November that he would step down from his athletic director position on June 1, 2018, or sooner if his successor is in place. Leath recently said he's hoping to announce a new AD by January.

In an interview with the Montgomery Advertiser, Leath stressed that any large decisions made regarding the athletic department would be consultations to produce “no surprises” between Jacobs, himself and the board of trustees until Jacobs' successor is named.

“Jay and I function very well and so he is the AD, he’s not the interim AD so I want to make clear the athletics department is still being run through him during this period,” Leath said. “We have no reason to be nervous about potential moves in athletics coming up whether they be personnel or facilities projects or anything of that nature.”