Fall Editorial Board 2016
With high expectations and Auburn football’s low performance comes calls to boot the easiest person to place the blame on: our head coach.
The deficit between fans’ expectations and the team’s performance raises discontentment and upsets donors.
But to do away with Gus Malzahn would be more detrimental for Auburn than beneficial, assuming the gamble wouldn’t amount to our school hiring a Nick Saban.
Malzahn’s contract with Auburn ends in 2020, and if he were fired today, Auburn would have to pay him his signed allotment of $13.7 million.
Add the high price it would take to hire a new and good coach and you’ve thrown quite a bit of money away.
The difficulty in hiring a new coach would be exacerbated by Auburn’s unique history of throwing its coaches away after discontent fans start complaining.
Only six coaches in history have gotten Auburn into the postseason bowl games. Tommy Tuberville, Gene Chizik and Malzahn are three of them.
Tuberville resigned. Chizik was fired two seasons after he helped lead Auburn to a National Championship.
If Malzahn were fired, this would add to the impression that Auburn is quick to let go of its coaches. Job security is an important consideration for people looking for work, and coaches are no exception.
We should give Malzahn the rest of his contract to try and fulfill his duty to mold a successful institution out of Auburn Football.
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