By all accounts, Arkansas is serious about getting Gus Malzahn to come home from Auburn.
Very serious. Deadly serious.
Dennis Dodd at CBSSports.com said today things are starting to get interesting.
“Arkansas is dead serious,” said a different source close to the situation. “They want him in the worst way.”
One figure tossed around, according to the source, $50 million for seven years. (For context, Jimbo Fisher just received $75 million over 10 from Texas A&M.)
Just to save you the time and trouble, that’s an average of $7,142,857.14 a year. Before deductions just to be clear.
Breathe.
We think that number is somewhere in the ballpark. Wally Hall of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sent out his last tweet Saturday night that makes you think that number may be about right.
Last opinion tonight, Gus has some support on the AU board and he told them he wanted to be the Auburn coach. Will they beat the UA offer which would be third best in the SEC behind Sir Nick and Jumping Jimbo.
— Wally Hall (@WallyLikeItIs) December 3, 2017
Just a day after Auburn played for the SEC Championship on Saturday against Georgia, Dodd pointed out why Malzahn seriously might be looking to leave the dysfunctional goings-on that is Auburn.
After a second Iron Bowl win last week, the Tigers played for the SEC title for the second time in five years. A three-touchdown loss to Georgia won’t help change the direction of those fickle winds at Auburn.
We heard a lot of high-and-mighty lectures last week that Auburn is a better job than Arkansas, which is true if you’re looking at it in a traditional sense.
There is very little about Gus that is traditional. He’s always marched to the beat of his own drum, according to people who have known him practically his entire life.
He’s made decisions before that went against the normal way of thinking for college football coaches. He’s taken pay cuts to go to a situation where there was less drama before.
This one may not involve a pay cut if the reports are accurate. Hardly. Whether Auburn will try and match that offer is not known at this time.
All of which is why Auburn may, indeed, be the better job.
But is it the best job for Gus?
We may know at any time.
