Gus Malzahn met with reporters Thursday at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta and said a lot of things you would expect and didn’t divulge things you wouldn’t expect him to.
Most Auburn fans can rattle off things they know about the Auburn football coach. And we’re talking about the things you knew before the great video series from AuburnUndercover’s Brandon Marcello titled “Driving Plains” where we discovered a lot more of what makes Malzahn tick from his discussions with Marcello.
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He enjoys his coffee — lots of it.
He chews gum. Emphatically.
He doesn’t sleep much.
He loves offense.
He’s excited about having his starting quarterback in Jarrett Stidham for a second season.
He tweets this when Auburn gets a commitment:
Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!! War Eagle!
— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) July 14, 2018
He doesn’t curse. He expanded on that Thursday in Atlanta:
No cuss Gus! #SECMD18
— ChristinaChambers (@ChristinaChamb) July 19, 2018
"I use crud and I use crap every now and then, but I have to be really mad" @CoachGusMalzahn@AuburnFootball HC Gus Malzahn tries not to say cuss words. "It's something I started in 1994 when I was coaching high school, I try not to do it" @WBRCnews pic.twitter.com/FyUAr4wQIp
But when it comes to his offseason habits, details are a little more difficult to come by.
We know that he traveled to Israel with his wife, Kristi, the week before SEC Media Days. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey noted that in his introduction of Malzahn on Thursday morning.
But music? What does Gus listen to when he’s drawing up plays or figuring out defenses?
We may have that answer. Jay G. Tate of Auburn Rivals found out that the Malzahns attended a U2 concert. But Jay wasn’t completely satisfied and like good reporters do, dug deeper.
Gus says he went to a U2 concert. I asked him to name one U2 song because skepticism. He did: “Desire.” @kristi_malzahn
— Jay G. Tate 🇺🇸 (@JayGTate) July 19, 2018
“Desire” is a good one for him and the Auburn football team after falling just short of reaching the College Football Playoff last season. With the knowledge of Malzahn’s taste for U2 music, we put together a 10-song playlist of U2 songs for the head coach to use as motivation for 2018:
40: Because that’s how many points Gus wants to average in 2018.
New Year’s Day: A reminder that playing Jan. 1 while not bad, is not good when aiming for the College Football Playoff.
Numb and Lemon. One-word titles. Both things to avoid.
Beautiful Day. “It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away.”
City of Blinding Lights: Because Auburn craves the spotlight at the end of the season. Atlanta first, then Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Vertigo: The scene after the Kick Six had to be mesmerizing. Which way was up, what just happened?
“Lights go down, it’s dark
The Jungle is your head, can’t rule your heart
A feeling’s so much stronger than a thought …”
Yes, appropriate.
With or Without You: Much like “Desire”, Malzahn’s message to his players should be that they’re in this together and if you’re not on board, it’s next man up.
Sweetest Thing: Ending Amen Corner with wins over Georgia and Alabama, it just is.
One. Of course. The last team standing.