Gus Malzhan has coached his final game at Auburn.
Despite beating Mississippi State on Saturday night, Auburn made the decision to fire Malzahn on Sunday. With Malzahn out, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has been named interim head coach of the Tigers.
The Tigers finished the season with a 6-4 record after beating Mississippi State 24-10 in Starkville on Saturday.
Malzahn had been head coach at Auburn since 2013. During his time with the Tigers, Gus was 68-35 overall. Before landing the head coaching job on The Plains, Malzahn served one season at Arkansas State and was the offensive coordinator during Auburn’s run to the 2010 BCS National Championship.
Auburn AD Allen Greene issued the following statement on the decision.
“After evaluating the state of the Auburn football program, we’ve decided that it was time to make a change in leadership. We appreciate everything that Gus did for the program over the last eight seasons. We will begin a search immediately for a coach that can help the Auburn program consistently compete at the highest level.”
Here is the statement issued by Auburn to SDS on Sunday:
Auburn Director of Athletics Allen Greene announced Sunday a leadership change for Auburn football as Gus Malzahn will no longer direct the program. Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele will serve as interim head coach.
In eight years, Malzahn compiled a 68-35 record including a 39-27 mark in Southeastern Conference play. He led the program to an SEC Championship and BCS National Championship appearance in his first season and an SEC West title in 2017.
Greene recommended a change in the football team’s leadership to Auburn President Jay Gogue after a “thorough analysis” of the program. Gogue accepted Greene’s recommendation.
Malzahn will be paid the remainder of his contract. A national search for his replacement will begin immediately.
SDS will have much more on this developing story.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
