http://www.coachingsearch.com/home/170-i...s-why.html

Say to yourself, "I am the head coach at Arkansas State University. We play in the Sun Belt Conference, a competitive and underrated league. I make close to $800,000 and have a great house in my home state, where I met my wife. I can hire a number of guys that I believe in wholeheartedly. I have a ton of support from all angles. I have a chance to recruit as well as anyone that could have taken this job and there is no doubt that I'm going to have fun."

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

I salute Gus Malzahn.

Nice to see it's not "all about the money" for some folks.

http://www.presnapread.com/not-a-big-nam...more-31416

It’s about an opportunity: Malzahn will have the chance to be a head coach in the F.B.S., gaining entrance into a 120-coach strong exclusive club. He’ll also get out of Auburn, where it seems as if the environment had become toxic enough to make what may seem like a backwards move a realistic option.

It’s not a backwards move. It’s a move forward, even if Malzahn drifts from the brightest of spotlights to the dark continent of the F.B.S. in the Sun Belt. Of course, Hugh Freeze went from an offensive coordinator at Arkansas State to the head coach at Arkansas State to a head coach in the SEC over the span of two seasons. Think that Malzahn, given his track record, couldn’t follow the same path back into the light?

Its a calculated move. He is playing his card right.

He could have taken a job at Vandy or other "career killing" school. Played out 3-4 years and gotten fired for lack of success.

Here he comes in. Probably has two or three recruits going to Auburn that might consider going to A-State. Pulls in some big recruits just based on who he is. He wins the Belt over the next 2-3 years.

Meanwhile teams like Tennessee/Missouri/insert any mediocre AQ team fire their coach and want a hot commodity. Or even better, Arkansas gets tired of playing second fiddle to LSU/Alabama and decides to hire the hottest coach in the state.

To borrow an highly-overused business term: its a win-win. State gets several years of being on the national radar screen and he gets to the next level of his career without a stop at a school takes him off the national coaching radar.

(12-14-2011 03:08 PM)dchi72 Wrote:  Its a calculated move. He is playing his card right.

He could have taken a job at Vandy or other "career killing" school. Played out 3-4 years and gotten fired for lack of success.

Here he comes in. Probably has two or three recruits going to Auburn that might consider going to A-State. Pulls in some big recruits just based on who he is. He wins the Belt over the next 2-3 years.

Meanwhile teams like Tennessee/Missouri/insert any mediocre AQ team fire their coach and want a hot commodity. Or even better, Arkansas gets tired of playing second fiddle to LSU/Alabama and decides to hire the hottest coach in the state.

To borrow an highly-overused business term: its a win-win. State gets several years of being on the national radar screen and he gets to the next level of his career without a stop at a school takes him off the national coaching radar.

In order for it to work, he has to win, and win a lot. We'll use him, just like he's using us. 2-3 years....I'll take it.
And you're right....it's a win-win.

(12-14-2011 05:08 PM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  

(12-14-2011 03:08 PM)dchi72 Wrote:  Its a calculated move. He is playing his card right.

He could have taken a job at Vandy or other "career killing" school. Played out 3-4 years and gotten fired for lack of success.

Here he comes in. Probably has two or three recruits going to Auburn that might consider going to A-State. Pulls in some big recruits just based on who he is. He wins the Belt over the next 2-3 years.

Meanwhile teams like Tennessee/Missouri/insert any mediocre AQ team fire their coach and want a hot commodity. Or even better, Arkansas gets tired of playing second fiddle to LSU/Alabama and decides to hire the hottest coach in the state.

To borrow an highly-overused business term: its a win-win. State gets several years of being on the national radar screen and he gets to the next level of his career without a stop at a school takes him off the national coaching radar.

In order for it to work, he has to win, and win a lot. We'll use him, just like he's using us. 2-3 years....I'll take it.
And you're right....it's a win-win.

There is not a school that would not take the trade off.

Not to mention the buyout is close to 2 million dollars. If he leaves for a better job, we will be compensated very well.

The thing about this is that Arkansas law prohibits ASU from paying Malzahn more then something around 120K out of public funds...every single bit of his salary is going to be handled through boosters. ive heard several speculate that ASU wont be able to afford much now, but in reality we're spending the same on him we did on Freeze.

I would call this the biggest hire in Sunbelt history. He brings instant credibility to a school that just last week had the lowest paid coach in FBS football. I salute stAte for going out and getting one of the hottest coordinators in football. It showed that they want to stay on top.

(12-14-2011 11:23 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Not to mention the buyout is close to 2 million dollars. If he leaves for a better job, we will be compensated very well.

The thing about this is that Arkansas law prohibits ASU from paying Malzahn more then something around 120K out of public funds...every single bit of his salary is going to be handled through boosters. ive heard several speculate that ASU wont be able to afford much now, but in reality we're spending the same on him we did on Freeze.

The buyout appears to be a little bit less than 2 million.

Contract Details

(12-15-2011 04:13 PM)dchi72 Wrote:  

(12-14-2011 11:23 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Not to mention the buyout is close to 2 million dollars. If he leaves for a better job, we will be compensated very well.

The thing about this is that Arkansas law prohibits ASU from paying Malzahn more then something around 120K out of public funds...every single bit of his salary is going to be handled through boosters. ive heard several speculate that ASU wont be able to afford much now, but in reality we're spending the same on him we did on Freeze.

The buyout appears to be a little bit less than 2 million.

Contract Details

Yeah - looks like Gus gets the 2 Million if we fire him first year!

Heres a question for the stAte guys here, wasn't Freeze your HC and OC at the same time? If thats the case, are yall planning on having Malzahn assume the same role? If so, I'm VERY scared of what you're offense will be able to accomplish.

(12-15-2011 08:50 PM)Tuffguy21 Wrote:  Heres a question for the stAte guys here, wasn't Freeze your HC and OC at the same time? If thats the case, are yall planning on having Malzahn assume the same role? If so, I'm VERY scared of what you're offense will be able to accomplish.

OC will be named tomorrow I think - Rhett Lashlee. He played for Malzahn in High School and is currently at Samford. I'm sure he'll call it exactly like Gus wants it called.

http://www.samfordsports.com/sports/m-fo...ett00.html

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/...nator.html

They have a mentor-protege relationship.

"That's Malzahn's child, we would always joke," Auburn quarterback Clint Moseley said of Lashlee before the Tigers played Samford in November.

We're also bringing in an Auburn grad assistant to work on the offense. We're not entirely sure whose coaching where right now. We've got 4 Freeze Holdovers on the offensive staff, and 1 on the defensive staff. We know our QB coach is leaving, not to Ole Miss, but to pursue other coaching jobs. Our only defensive coach is rumored to be heading to Oxford after the bowl game.

Looking at the numbers, its very likely we may lose every single one of our current staff. Every single one of them including the interim HC has been rumored for a job somewhere to this point.

(12-15-2011 10:33 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  We're also bringing in an Auburn grad assistant to work on the offense. We're not entirely sure whose coaching where right now. We've got 4 Freeze Holdovers on the offensive staff, and 1 on the defensive staff. We know our QB coach is leaving, not to Ole Miss, but to pursue other coaching jobs. Our only defensive coach is rumored to be heading to Oxford after the bowl game.

Looking at the numbers, its very likely we may lose every single one of our current staff. Every single one of them including the interim HC has been rumored for a job somewhere to this point.

Where is Gunn & Hiller going? I was hoping that we would keep Gunn & wouldn't mind keeping Siskey (we have very good receivers) .

(12-15-2011 11:04 PM)indianE Wrote:  

(12-15-2011 10:33 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  We're also bringing in an Auburn grad assistant to work on the offense. We're not entirely sure whose coaching where right now. We've got 4 Freeze Holdovers on the offensive staff, and 1 on the defensive staff. We know our QB coach is leaving, not to Ole Miss, but to pursue other coaching jobs. Our only defensive coach is rumored to be heading to Oxford after the bowl game.

Looking at the numbers, its very likely we may lose every single one of our current staff. Every single one of them including the interim HC has been rumored for a job somewhere to this point.

Where is Gunn & Hiller going? I was hoping that we would keep Gunn & wouldn't mind keeping Siskey (we have very good receivers) .

Siskey has been rumored to be headed to the High School ranks. Hiller is a question, he was rumored for Oxford until they hired an OL coach. Gunn has been rumored for a non coaching position in Jonesboro.