Hi, friend.
So here we are again. Auburn is 6-4 with upcoming games against Liberty and Alabama. The Tigers are mediocre this season, a far cry from what was expected both inside and outside the program, and a lot of people are tired of Gus Malzahn. I won't belabor the point because you know all about it having read the Bunker during the past month. Malzahn tends to lose four games per year. That seems like a lot for a program that endeavors to challenge for the Western Division title every single season.
Athletic director Allen Greene spoke up last week and offered Malzahn a vote of confidence. He said Malzahn will be the coach next season and is the program's coach of the future. University president Steven Leath on Tuesday offered mushy support for Malzahn — saying he stood behind Greene's assessment because he stands behind Greene in general. It wasn't the strongest statement ever, but it'll do. Leath, at least to this point, supports Auburn retaining Malzahn.
That seems like a pretty strong win for Malzahn insofar as his top two bosses say he'll be here next season.
Still, I'm not sure this melodrama has reached its final act just yet.
Malzahn seems safe as long as Leath is president. With that said, there is a lot of chatter going around about Leath being on the hot seat himself. It's conceivable that Leath could lose his job, which could alter the Malzahn dynamic. An interim president could be named quickly, someone like university provost Bill Hardgrave, and then it's anyone's guess about what happens next. That seems like a quick turnaround on a very complicated (and expensive) dilemma, so I'm skeptical about any interim president making Malzahn's contract his No. 1 priority.
Is the Board of Trustees willing to unseat Leath? I sense that some members would vote to remove Leath, though it doesn't appear to be a unanimous thing at all. My educated guess is that Malzahn is less popular than Leath in that circle, but that's merely a guess.
TL;DR: Malzahn sure looks safe on paper, but would a humbling loss in Tuscaloosa on the 24th will turn aimless disdain into actionable disdain? Auburn people want more than 7-5. I still think Malzahn will survive when it's all said and done. I am less certain of that than I was after the A&M victory, however. I just don't think the decision-makers are in tune (yet) with the fact that so many people are down on Malzahn. Let's see if anything happens at the BOT meeting Friday and go from there.
So here we are again. Auburn is 6-4 with upcoming games against Liberty and Alabama. The Tigers are mediocre this season, a far cry from what was expected both inside and outside the program, and a lot of people are tired of Gus Malzahn. I won't belabor the point because you know all about it having read the Bunker during the past month. Malzahn tends to lose four games per year. That seems like a lot for a program that endeavors to challenge for the Western Division title every single season.
Athletic director Allen Greene spoke up last week and offered Malzahn a vote of confidence. He said Malzahn will be the coach next season and is the program's coach of the future. University president Steven Leath on Tuesday offered mushy support for Malzahn — saying he stood behind Greene's assessment because he stands behind Greene in general. It wasn't the strongest statement ever, but it'll do. Leath, at least to this point, supports Auburn retaining Malzahn.
That seems like a pretty strong win for Malzahn insofar as his top two bosses say he'll be here next season.
Still, I'm not sure this melodrama has reached its final act just yet.
Malzahn seems safe as long as Leath is president. With that said, there is a lot of chatter going around about Leath being on the hot seat himself. It's conceivable that Leath could lose his job, which could alter the Malzahn dynamic. An interim president could be named quickly, someone like university provost Bill Hardgrave, and then it's anyone's guess about what happens next. That seems like a quick turnaround on a very complicated (and expensive) dilemma, so I'm skeptical about any interim president making Malzahn's contract his No. 1 priority.
Is the Board of Trustees willing to unseat Leath? I sense that some members would vote to remove Leath, though it doesn't appear to be a unanimous thing at all. My educated guess is that Malzahn is less popular than Leath in that circle, but that's merely a guess.
TL;DR: Malzahn sure looks safe on paper, but would a humbling loss in Tuscaloosa on the 24th will turn aimless disdain into actionable disdain? Auburn people want more than 7-5. I still think Malzahn will survive when it's all said and done. I am less certain of that than I was after the A&M victory, however. I just don't think the decision-makers are in tune (yet) with the fact that so many people are down on Malzahn. Let's see if anything happens at the BOT meeting Friday and go from there.
