Paul Finebaum on the Gus Malzahn to Tennessee rumors that won’t die
By John Buhler
Paul Finebaum gives his take on the Gus Malzahn to the Tennessee football program rumors.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum’s beloved Tennessee football team is looking for yet another head coach this offseason. What are the chances new Tennessee athletic director Danny White ends up hiring former Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn to replace Jeremy Pruitt?
Finebaum appeared on WJOX to discuss the Malzahn to Tennessee rumors that will not seem to go away. Auburn went 6-4 last season under Malzahn. While he is more than capable of leading a Power 5 team the caliber of Tennessee, it feels like Malzahn is more likely to spend a year out of football and regroup than to join an SEC East program scraping along rock bottom.
“I think it’s very slim,” said Finebaum. “And I like Malzahn as a coach. I know that he may have played out at Auburn, but he can go somewhere else and be very effective. But I don’t think he’s what Tennessee will be looking at right now.”
“You’ve got Kevin Steele there already. Do you want to see that soap opera again? Secondly, I think Danny White wants to put his imprint on the program by finding someone a little bit different. I think Malzahn is more form than different.”
Who are the serious candidates for the Tennessee Vols job?
With White coming aboard as athletic director by way of Central Florida, the university has reportedly vetted Clemson Tigers offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, SMU Mustangs head coach Sonny Dykes and Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck for the position. All three would offer something different to Tennessee, but Finebaum feels Malzahn would be more of the same.
Malzahn knows the SEC like the back of his hand. While he would be capable of beating Alabama in the Third Saturday in October on occasion, he does not need to rush into his next job. Though White will likely be patient with whoever he hires to replace Pruitt, Malzahn is not the answer Tennessee is looking for. Settling for a Power 5 retread does not make the Vols better overnight.
Ultimately, Tennessee cannot afford to get this hire wrong. White needs to go out and hire his first choice, giving him an offer he cannot refuse. This is what it took to pry White out of Orlando as athletic director, the only way Tennessee will overcome their decade of dysfunction is to reaffirm to the rest of the college football world that everything is going to be different know in Knoxville.
Unless Malzahn is White’s first choice for the job, he should wait patiently for better 2022 options.
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