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Auburn’s Gus Malzahn and Bruce Pearl Are the Best Coaching Combo in the SEC

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn and head basketball coach Bruce Pearl give the Tigers the best coaching combination in the SEC according to Athlon Sports.

Who are we to argue?

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

The magazine explored which SEC fan bases have the benefit of a gridiron and hard court duo “most likely to keep each school’s fans happy and entertained from the start of football season through the end of basketball season.” 

Malzahn is a noted offensive innovator that has had success everywhere he’s been. He jumped from the Arkansas high school ranks to the SEC with his home state Razorbacks, then put up some of the best numbers in college football history in a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator at Tulsa.

Of course, Malzahn then made his first trip to Auburn as offensive coordinator and led the Tigers’ offense during the 2010 National Championship season. He also helped Cam Newton win the Heisman Trophy and become the top pick in the NFL Draft.

Following one season as the head coach at Arkansas State (in which he led the Red Wolves to the Sun Belt Conference title), Malzahn returned to the Plains to lead the Auburn football team to the 2013 SEC Championship.

That season, Malzahn brought back the #AuburnFast Hurry Up, No Huddle offense that piled up huge chunks of yardage – including the nation’s best rushing attack – and puts points on the scoreboard all the way to the BCS National Championship Game.

After a disappointing 8-5 season in 2014, and willing to settle for nothing short of a championship, Malzahn hired Will Muschamp to turn around the Tigers’ defense – making the pair perhaps the SEC’s best football offensive and defensive coaching combination.

As for Pearl, he’s just 12-13 overall in his first season on campus, but has reinvigorated the Tigers and transformed Auburn Arena into one of the best venues in the SEC with his passion and personality.

Not to mention, Pearl is one of the best college basketball coaches in the country. He’s 474-158 (.750) with 17 NCAA Tournament appearances in 20 seasons as a college head coach without a losing season to date. 

With Pearl in charge, the future of Auburn basketball is very bright.

This year the Tigers have quality wins over Oregon State, Xavier, LSU and Georgia thanks in part to a handful of newcomers including Antoine Mason, Cinmeon Bowers and K.C. Ross-Miller, and still have an opportunity to make it to the post-season. Looking ahead, Pearl has an incoming recruiting class ranked 12th nationally by 247Sports.

Malzahn and Pearl earned the honor of top SEC duo ahead of Kentucky’s John Calipari and Mark Stoops and Arkansas’ Bret Bielema and Mike Anderson. South Carolina and Alabama were ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU and Georgia.

Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt round out the final four – and not in the good basketball kind of way.

But most importantly – they’re all looking up at the Auburn Tigers.

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