Gus Malzahn is less than a year removed from signing a 7-year, $49 million contract and is 6-3 this season. Normally, those factors would point to an obvious sign the head coach would return for Year 2 of that deal.
Auburn isn't a normal place, and so questions have hounded Malzahn's job security since the Tigers, who started the year ranked No. 9 in the country, dropped games to Mississippi State and Tennessee in October.
On Tuesday, Auburn Undercover reporter Brandon Marcello spoke to Auburn AD Allen Greene, who stated Malzahn will return in 2019.
"He’ll be the coach next year and I’m confident — he’s already proven we can get through adversity," Greene said, via Auburn Undercover. "Every team has it and I’m looking forward to working with him for a long time."
Greene added that Malzahn will be "our coach of the future," according to ESPN.
Malzahn's contract would require a $32 million buyout to move the coach out of his job, and that doesn't cover buyouts for the rest of his staff and the cost of hiring a new head coach and staff.
After Saturday's 28-24 win over No. 25 Texas A&M, the Tigers are 6-3 heading into a 3-game stretch that includes road trips to No. 5 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama.
In his sixth season as the Tigers' head coach, Malzahn is 51-25 overall and 28-18 in SEC play. He led Auburn to the 2013 SEC Championship and a berth in the BCS National Championship as well as an SEC West championship with a New Year's Six bowl berth in 2017.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.