Nick Saban was very complimentary of Gus Malzahn after Auburn fired him.
Despite a hefty buyout, Auburn finally decided to rip off the Band-Aid and fire head coach Gus Malzahn, as his 6-4 record this season fell way short of expectations. While Alabama’s Nick Saban frequently butted heads with Malzahn during their annual Iron Bowl matchup, Saban thought that Malzahn did a fantastic job at Auburn.
“He was difficult to play against when he was the offensive coordinator, and he’s always been difficult to play against as a head coach,” Saban said on a conference call. “I don’t know what the reasons are, but I certainly think he’s an outstanding coach and has been a tough adversary for us to have to play against in the Iron Bowl every year.” Saban also confirmed that Malzahn’s offense influenced concepts Saban put in the Crimson Tide’s playbook.
Gus Malzahn got the better of Nick Saban more than anyone else in the SEC
Malzahn went 68-35 at Auburn, but he never truly managed to take Auburn to the elite tier after losing against Florida State in the National Championship in his first season. After 2013, Malzahn won just 63 percent of his games despite the fact that he was constantly bringing in elite recruits.
Despite his reputation as an offensive guru and no-huddle disciple, Malzahn’s quarterbacks routinely fell short of expectations, as the likes of Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham were unable to put the Tigers in the College Football Playoff picture during their tenures under Malzahn.
Malzahn will not be out of work long, as any number of teams will be interested in him as either a head coach or offensive coordinator. While his legacy at Auburn will be debated until the end of time, one of his contemporaries mentioned how much respect he had for him, which should be a nice feather in Malzahn’s cap.
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