If it finalizes, this is a strange hire, and stranger timing.
In 2005 Malzahn was coaching high school, and now at 45, he's a well-paid assistant coach for an SEC power at $500,000 a year. The Vanderbilt job is the lowest rung of the conference, a perennial doormat with a big disadvantage in recruiting due to high academic standards. Alabama and Florida do not have high academic standards. Will Muschamp of Texas got a much bigger promotion this weekend, being named coach of the Gators, as did Al Golden of Temple, who moves to Miami.
It will be interesting to see if Malzahn stays on at Auburn through the bowl game. Vanderbilt's offered him a reported $3 million dollars, which is more than the Tigers pay Chizik. He's a brilliant offensive mind who's literally written the book on spread offense, up-tempo football.
As new head coach of a team that has made four bowls in 110 years, he'll need every page. And with recruiting in the SEC being the high-stakes, high-priced war that is, he'll want to get started as soon as possible. Hard to think he would pass up a shot at a national championship and the performance bonus that accompanies it.
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