HOOVER, Ala. -- As sure as Bear Bryant became the biggest name in the history of University of Alabama football, another Arkansan is carving his own mark in this state.
Gus Malzahn, just nine seasons since he coached Springdale High School to a state championship, is the Auburn Man. Saying the route was winding and tricky would be an understatement.
From head coach at tiny Hughes, where he started as the defensive coordinator, to Shiloh Christian, Springdale and on to Arkansas, Tulsa and Auburn as an offensive coordinator.
He helped lead Auburn to the 2010 BCS championship and won the Broyles Award as college football's top assistant. That helped him eventually get the Arkansas State head coaching job and his 9-3 record with the Red Wolves led to his hiring as head coach of the Auburn Tigers.
His first Auburn team, coming off a winless SEC season, won the SEC championship. It played Florida State for the BCS national championship, where it fell 34-31. But the 12-victory season earned him a new contract and a reserved booth at a local Waffle House, the favorite place for he and his wife Kristi to eat after games.
Few believe Arkansas is still his dream job.
Instead, he seems to be living the dream.
Monday, he was the leadoff hitter for the SEC football media days here.
He was wearing a suit and an orange-and-blue tie, and appeared much more relaxed than during his first two appearances, but still businesslike.
That is Malzahn, a stickler for details, discipline and dedication.
The session turned to questions after Malzahn gave a short summary of this season's team, and Malzahn quickly said, "Let Bob [Holt, our man covering the Razorbacks for 35 years] ask the first question."
That got a laugh from the crowd, including Holt, a very popular reporter among members of the media.
Malzahn seems to fit The Plains like a new wrench on an old bolt-- easily.
He's a football coach 365 days a year. He goes to work early and gets home late.
Several years ago, he took a lot of old plays, many out of the single-wing formation, tweaked them and came up with the idea of running a two-minute offense the entire game.
While at Shiloh, he wrote a book, "The Hurry Up, No Huddle; An Offensive Philosophy."
Chip Kelly, former Oregon coach who is now head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, read it, as did many others, and have adopted much of the concept.
Make no mistake, that 12-2 season in 2013 was mostly Malzahn and quarterback Nick Marshall, but there was some luck, too. A 73-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds to play had been tipped by a Georgia defender but turned into a Ricardo Louis touchdown, and in the Iron Bowl, Chris Davis returned an attempted field goal 109 yards (officially 100 yards) as time ran out to beat Alabama 34-28.
Malzahn had instructed Davis to return it if he could catch it.
The Tigers slipped to 8-5 last season, but enthusiasm is still running high and some members of the media consider them to be a legitimate contender for the SEC Championship Game. A lot will be learned in their season opener against Louisville.
Malzahn is heading into his third season as the Auburn Man and making more money than he ever dreamed of making; he's a hero to almost half the state and yet he seems to not have changed.
He made a point to speak to members of the Arkansas media, but he didn't stop and spend time chatting. He was on a mission Monday, and when he was center stage in front of hundreds of reporters, he said: "The future is bright and I'm very excited to be the head coach at Auburn."
There was no reason not to believe him.
Sports on 07/14/2015