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Auburn Football: Gus Malzahn is the Best Play-Caller in College Football

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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He’s been called a genius and an offensive mastermind – and probably a few less than flattering things in the heat of a football game – but according to ESPN.com writer Travis Haney, his peers call Gus Malzahn the best play-caller in college football.

Haney polled a collection of college coaches to get their take on the best in the business when it comes to directing an offense. Malzahn, who has an open communication with co-offensive coordinators Rhett Lashlee and Dameyune Craig during the course of each series but has the final say on what play is run, came out on top. Most of the article resides behind the ESPNInsider pay wall, but know that Malzahn is in good company with some of the brightest minds in college football.

Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn reacts against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second half in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Auburn Tigers 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

One of the reasons he is so highly regarded is the ability Malzahn has to frustrate opponents by seemingly running the same set of plays.

“We don’t run a whole lot of stuff,” Malzahn told Sirius XM last summer. “The bottom line is we are going to run the power, the counter, the buck sweep and the inside zone. The rest is just window dressing.”

That window dressing includes a wide range of offensive formations that causes confusion for defensive players trying to line up properly, pre-snap motion from slot wide receivers, and plenty of shifting back and forth between formations. Malzahn and his offense also does a good job of utilizing the same players in multiple roles, which keeps the defense and opposing coaching guessing when it comes to figuring out tendencies.

Plus, Malzahn has plenty of wrinkles off of that small selection of base plays – and has used a ton of trick plays in his career as a high school coach, college offensive coordinator at Arkansas, Tulsa and Auburn, then as the head coach at Arkansas State before returning to the Plains in December 2012.

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The results have been impressive. Malzahn’s offenses led the nation statistically in both 2007 and 2008 at Tulsa, and he helped the Golden Hurricane to field the first offense in history to feature a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and three 1,000-yard receivers in the same year.

In his first stint at Auburn, Malzahn coached 2010 Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, and helped the Tigers capture the National Championship that season thanks in large part to utilizing Newton as a battering ram running back on “inverted veer” plays.

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Then, his 2013 Auburn offense led the nation in rushing with 328.3 yards per game and was one of the most prolific units in SEC history. In his first season as the head coach of the Tigers, Gus Malzahn turned a program he inherited coming off of a 3-9 season into a 12-2 SEC Championship squad that came up just short of a national title.

Had the Tigers had a better defense (they finished 12th in the SEC and 86th nationally with 420.7 yards allowed per game in 2013), Auburn probably would have won the BCS National Championship. Instead, they had to settle for runners-up to Florida State.

Following a disappointing 8-5 finish to the 2014 season and the loss of Nick Marshall, Cameron Artis-Payne, Reese Dismukes, Sammie Coates and others to the NFL, you’d think Malzahn’s star may have dimmed a little.

However, the expectations for the Tigers are higher than ever thanks in part to the arrival of new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, but also because Malzahn is the best play-caller in college football.

Next: Recruiting: Updated Signing Day Odds & Projections

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