.jpg) Malzahn in 2018 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Offensive coordinator |
| Team | Florida State |
| Conference | ACC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1965-10-28)October 28, 1965 (age 60) Irving, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1984–1985 | Arkansas |
| 1987–1989 | Henderson State |
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1991 | Hughes HS (AR) (OC) |
| 1992–1995 | Hughes HS (AR) |
| 1996–2000 | Shiloh Christian HS (AR) |
| 2001–2005 | Springdale HS (AR) |
| 2006 | Arkansas (OC/WR) |
| 2007–2008 | Tulsa (AHC/co-OC/QB) |
| 2009–2011 | Auburn (OC/QB) |
| 2012 | Arkansas State |
| 2013–2020 | Auburn |
| 2021–2024 | UCF |
| 2025–present | Florida State (OC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 105–62 (college) 144–36–1 (high school) |
| Bowls | 3–7 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
1SEC (2013)
1SEC (2010) 1SEC Western Division (2010) | |
| Awards | |
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (2013)
Rivals Offensive Coordinator of the Year (2006) | |
Arthur Gustav Malzahn III[1] (/mælˈzɑːn/; born October 28, 1965) is an Americancollege football coach who is the offensive coordinator atFlorida State. He was the head coach at theUniversity of Central Florida (UCF) from 2021 to 2024,[2]Auburn University from 2013 to 2020, andArkansas State in 2012. He also served as offensive coordinator at Auburn from 2009 to 2011; in that role, he helped lead the2010 Auburn Tigers to anational championship victory. As head coach at Auburn, he led the team to aSEC Championship win and an appearance in the2014 National Championship. Malzahn has coachedHeisman Trophy winnerCam Newton and two Heisman candidates:Nick Marshall andTre Mason, including coaching 14All-Americans.[3] During Malzahn's tenure at Auburn, he was the second-longest tenured head coach at one school in theSEC, behindNick Saban.
Prior to his stints at Arkansas State and Auburn, Malzahn was the offensive coordinator at theUniversity of Arkansas and theUniversity of Tulsa. He became the head coach atArkansas State University after coaching at Auburn from 2009 to 2011. In his first year, he led his team to finish as the2012 Sun Belt Champions. He returned toAuburn in 2013 as head coach; Malzahn received national attention for coaching one of the biggest in-season turnarounds in college football history.[4] Malzahn inherited an Auburn Tigers football team that did not win a singleSoutheastern Conference game in the2012 season, then led them to anSEC Championship and an appearance in the2014 National Championship Game. The Tigers won their eighth SEC title and tallied a record of 12–2 (7–1 in SEC play), and Malzahn received several "coach of the year" awards, including theAP College Football Coach of the Year Award. Malzahn is the only head coach to ever win 100 career games at the high school and 100 career games at the collegiate FBS level.
Malzahn graduated fromFort Smith Christian High School inFort Smith, Arkansas in 1984 and was a walk-on receiver atArkansas under then-head coachKen Hatfield in 1984 and 1985 before transferring toHenderson State University located inArkadelphia, Arkansas, where he was a two-year letterman (1988, 1989) and earned his bachelor's degree inphysical education in 1990.
Malzahn got his start as theoffensive coordinator atHughes High School inHughes, Arkansas in 1991. He became head coach in 1992 and in 1994 Hughes reached the statechampionship game with an upset ofPine Bluff Dollarway. Hughes fell just short in the title game, losing to Lonoke High School on aninterception in the final minute.
Malzahn's success at Hughes and his wide-open attack landed him a head coaching position atShiloh Christian School in 1996. From 1996 to 2000, he transformed Shiloh Christian into one of the most dynamic offensive prep squads in the nation. In 1998, Shiloh Christian set a national record with 66 passing touchdowns for the season, while quarterback Josh Floyd nearly set an individual national record with 5,878 total yards (5,221 passing, 657 rushing).[5] Malzahn guided the Saints to back-to-back state championships in 1998 and 1999.
In 2001, Malzahn took over for long-time coach Jarrell Williams atSpringdale High School. Malzahn continued the rich tradition of the Bulldogs’ program. He led the program to two state championship game appearances in his last four years, winning the title in 2005.
Malzahn led his squad to the state title game in only his second season in 2002. The Bulldogs lost 17–10 toFort Smith Southside.
Springdale was on track for another state title game appearance in 2004 beforeLittle RockCentral sidetracked the Bulldogs’ title hopes in the state semifinals. Springdale was upset by the eventual state champion, 31–20. The Bulldogs finished the season at 12–1.
Malzahn's 2005 squad at Springdale went 14–0, easily won the state's Class AAAAA championship, outscored its opponents 664–118, including a 54–20 victory overWest Memphis in the state championship game, and was consistently ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation.
Included on the championship team were prize recruitsMitch Mustain, Ben Cleveland, Andrew Norman, andDamian Williams who all eventually joined Malzahn at the University of Arkansas. Offensive tackle Bartley Webb decided to leave the state to play for theUniversity of Notre Dame.
In 2013, Malzahn was inducted into the Arkansas High School Coaches Association's Hall of Fame.[6][7]
Malzahn joinedHouston Nutt's staff on December 9, 2005, as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach,[8] following an impressive five-year run at Springdale High School capped by one of the most dominant seasons by any high school in 2005. Given that much of Springdale High's football talent decided to follow Malzahn to Arkansas and the fact that Malzahn had never coached in college, many questioned what Houston Nutt's motives were. Malzahn led the offense of the Razorbacks' 2006 season in which they won theSEC Western Division championship. They playedFlorida in the2006 SEC Championship Game but lost (28–38). Arkansas finished the season with a 10–4 record and lost toWisconsin in theCapital One Bowl.
There was a widely reported tension between Nutt's reliance on the ground game (which turned out to be one of the best running games in the nation in 2006) and Malzahn's philosophy of spreading the field with a no-huddle offense. The poor ending of the season only added stress to the already tense coaching relationship. Malzahn was named the National Offensive Coordinator of the Year byRivals.com.
Despite this tension, the 2006 season served as a breakout for running backsDarren McFadden (1,647 yards with 14 TD) andFelix Jones (1,168 yards with 6 TD).[9] Wide receiverMarcus Monk had 962 yards receiving with 11 touchdowns, despite catching passes from two quarterbacks.
In January 2007, Malzahn received an offer from theUniversity of Tulsa and his friend, new head coachTodd Graham. He took the Tulsa job to be assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.
Shortly after the departure of Coach Graham and Malzahn, both Arkansas star quarterbackMitch Mustain and receiverDamian Williams decided to transfer to theUniversity of Southern California.
Malzahn was announced as the new assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach in January 2007. During the 2007 season, Malzahn emerged as one of the premier offensive coordinators in the nation, asTulsa ranked first in the nation in total yards per game, ahead ofTexas Tech andHawaii, and with a more balanced attack than both teams.[10] The Golden Hurricane also ranked third in the nation in passing[11] and led their conference in scoring. Tulsa became the first team in NCAA history to have a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and three 1,000-yard receivers in a single season.[12][13]
After the regular season, Malzahn interviewed for the open position at Arkansas once Nutt resigned in November 2007.[14]
In 2008, Tulsa was once again the nation's most prolific attack, leading with nearly 7,980 total yards of offense averaging 570 yards per game.[15] The Golden Hurricane were ranked second in the nation in scoring behindOklahoma, scoring over 47 points per game.[16] Tulsa not only ranked second in the nation in scoring that year, but finished with the second highest scoring offense in the history of major college football. The offense was also the nation's most balanced attack, ranking fifth in the nation in rushing[17] and ninth in passing.[18] Tulsa quarterbacksDavid Johnson andG. J. Kinne finished third in the nation inpassing efficiency, behind only Oklahoma andTexas.[19]
Malzahn was named the offensive coordinator atAuburn University by first year head coachGene Chizik on December 28, 2008.[20] Under Malzahn, Auburn made significant improvements over the previous season's offensive production; the Tigers finished the season ranked 16th in total offense (2nd in the SEC against all opponents) with just under 432 yards per game[21] and 17th in scoring with over 33 points per game[22] after being tied for 110th in the nation in scoring the previous season.[23] Although he still made significant improvements in his first year, against SEC competition Auburn managed 377.1 total yards a game which placed them 4th in the SEC (behind Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss).[24] His first season broke the Auburn single season total offense record previously set by the undefeated 2004 team. Head coach Gene Chizik had stressed prior to the season that he intended to focus on the run game which showed great improvement as well; the rushing offense finished the season ranked 13th in the nation with 212 yards per game[25] after being ranked 69th prior to the new coaching staff's arrival.[26] Passing numbers also improved under the new offensive scheme, with the passing efficiency ranking ending up 22nd nationally[27] after being ranked 106th in 2008.[28] Senior quarterbackChris Todd set a single-season touchdown record at Auburn and finished the season with a passer rating of 145.73, ranking him 18th in the nation.[29] During the 2009 season, Auburn's offense under Malzahn, produced 120 plays of 15 yards or more, nearly doubling the 62 compiled in 2008.
In 2010, Malzahn was given a raise making him the highest-paid assistant coach in the country.[30] After recruitingCam Newton, Malzahn worked to refine his throwing mechanics to become a trueDual-threat quarterback and learn Malzahn's offense.[31] Malzahn's offense, led by eventualHeisman Trophy winner Newton at quarterback, helped Auburn achieve an undefeated record, a No. 1 national ranking after the regular season[32] and a berth in theBCS Championship game, played on January 10, 2011. Auburn led the SEC in scoring offense, total offense, rushing offense, pass efficiency, first downs and third down conversions on its way to a 13–0 record and a 56–17 victory over South Carolina in theSEC Championship Game. Malzahn was awarded the 2010Broyles Award, recognizing him as the top assistant coach in the nation. Auburn went on to win the2011 BCS National Championship Game against Oregon. In 2011, ESPN selected Malzahn as one of the best recruiters in the Southeastern Conference that year as well.[33]
On December 13, 2011, Malzahn left Auburn to accept the position of head football coach atArkansas State University.[34] In his first and only year at Arkansas State, Malzahn led the team to a 9–3 regular season record and a Conference Championship with a win overMiddle Tennessee State, 45–0.[35][36][37] Malzahn closed out the season leading the Red Wolves to a 17–13 victory overKent State in theGoDaddy.com Bowl. The future All-Pro Linebacker and 2021 NFLBart Starr Award winner,Demario Davis, was selected 77th overall in the third round of the2012 NFL draft. Several other players went onto the NFL, such as defensive backsKelcie McCray,James Bradberry,Don Jones, defensive linemanRyan Carrethers and slotbackJ. D. McKissic. Both Bradberry and McCray becameAll-Pro NFL players. Jones made anNFL All-Rookie Team.[38]
After Malzahn's departure in 2011, Auburn went 3–9 and 0–8 in conference play in the2012 Auburn season.[39] With Malzahn's absence, media and alumni criticized coach Chizik, claiming he only won a championship at Auburn due to Malzahn's playcalling and assisting him as head coach.[40]
On December 4, 2012, Malzahn was announced to replace Gene Chizik as the head coach of Auburn University shortly after winning theSun Belt Conference Championship.[41] Malzahn's first hires were defensive coordinatorEllis Johnson (former head coach at Southern Miss and previously coached as defensive coordinator at several SEC schools) and offensive coordinatorRhett Lashlee (who followed Malzahn from Arkansas State, where he was also the offensive coordinator).
In 2013, the Auburn Tiger offense under Malzahn was led by quarterbackNick Marshall. On November 16, 2013, with the Tigers down by 1 againstGeorgia facing 4th-and-18 and 36 seconds left in the game, Malzahn called the play "Little Rock" for Marshall which would become known as "The Prayer at Jordan–Hare". Marshall hitRicardo Louis on a tipped 73-yardHail Mary pass to give Auburn the victory.
Two weeks later, in theIron Bowl againstAlabama, Malzahn's Tigers avenged two consecutive blowout losses to the Tide with a dramatic 34–28 win, clinched on an epic 109-yard return of a missed field goal for the game-winning touchdown as time expired, nicknamed the "Kick Six". The win completed the greatest single-season turnaround in SEC history, and gave Auburn the SEC West title. Auburn would go on to win the 2013 SEC Championship game later that year against the Missouri Tigers. On December 8, it was announced that Auburn would play theFlorida State Seminoles in the2014 BCS Championship Game.
After leading the heavily favored Seminoles 21–3 in the second quarter, Auburn failed to stay in front and the lead slowly slipped away. Heisman Trophy winnerJameis Winston stepped up in the fourth quarter and rallied the Seminoles to a victory, leading the way with 6-of-7 passing for 77 yards en route to the go-ahead scoring touchdown. Auburn lost in the2014 BCS Championship Game to theFlorida State Seminoles by a score of 34–31.[42]
Malzahn won the 2013Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year,Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year, andHome Depot Coach of the Year Awards as well as theSEC Coach of the Year by the AP and coaches. On December 10, fans voted him the recipient of the inaugural Premier Coach of College Football Award. On December 23, it was announced that Malzahn had won the Associated Press National Coach of the Year, edging out Duke'sDavid Cutcliffe, 33 votes to 17. Malzahn is only the second coach to win the award in their first season with a new team. In January 2014, after the national championship game, Malzahn was awarded thePaul "Bear" Bryant Award and theBobby Bowden Coach of the Year Award to bring the total number of national coach of the year awards to six for the first year head coach in the 2013–14 season. Running back Tre Mason was voted theSEC Offensive Player of the Year and five players were selected to the2013 All-SEC football team.
In the 2016 season, Auburn had the fourth-toughest schedule in the country. Despite the schedule and various team injuries, Malzahn managed to lead the Tigers to aNew Year's SixSugar Bowl appearance against Oklahoma.[43][44]Kamryn Pettway led the SEC and ranked 11th in the nation in rushing yards per game, which made him aDoak Walker Award semifinalist (top running back in college football). Seven players were selected to the2016 All-SEC football team.
In2017, Malzahn led the Tigers to theSEC Championship game by defeating #1 rankedGeorgia and #1 rankedAlabama over the span of three weeks.[45] In a rematch with the Georgia Bulldogs, Auburn lost the 2017 SEC Championship Game 28–7.[46] They went on to playUCF in the NY6Peach Bowl where they would lose 34–27.[47]Kerryon Johnson earned the 2017SEC Offensive Player of the Year award and seven players selected to the2017 All-SEC football team. Immediately after the season, Malzahn agreed to a seven-year, $49 million contract extension with Auburn.[48]
In the 2018 season, Malzahn led the Tigers to a 7–5 regular season record.[49] The team defeated Purdue 63–14 in the Music City Bowl to cap off the season.[50]
In the 2019 season, Malzahn led the Tigers to a 9–3 regular season record. The season was highlighted by ranked victories over Oregon, Texas A&M, and Alabama.[51] The Tigers fell to Minnesota in the Outback Bowl.[52]
On December 13, 2020, Malzahn was fired as head coach of Auburn at the conclusion of his eighth winning season.[53] He finished with a 68–35 record, including 39–27 in the SEC. Auburn committed to buy out the remainder of his contract, for $21.45 million.[54]
Malzahn reached fifth on Auburn's all-time wins list, behindShug Jordan,Mike Donahue,Pat Dye andTommy Tuberville. During his time at Auburn, he coached 12All-America Team players.[55] Malzahn had a total of 36 players selected in the NFL draft under him, averaging 4.6 draft picks per year (the third-most in history by an Auburn coach).[56]
He has produced three NFL draft classes of at least five players drafted. In 2019 and 2020, Auburn had back-to-back years of six players drafted,[57] a feat none of the last three previous Auburn coaches ever did once.[58]
On February 15, 2021, Malzahn was named the head coach atUCF, reuniting him with formerArkansas State athletic directorTerry Mohajir.[59] Malzahn was signed to a five-year, $11.5 million contract that would make him the head coach through the 2025 season.[60]
Malzahn started his first season with UCF that fall of 2021. On September 2, Malzahn won his first game with the Knights, defeatingBoise State (36–31). Malzahn concluded the regular season going 8–4. After an injury-plagued season, the starting lineup was missing 27 total starters or rotational players going into the bowl game. Despite the team injuries, he led the Knights to a (29–17) victory over in-state rivalFlorida in theGasparilla Bowl, finishing with a 9–4 overall record in his first season with UCF.[61][62]
In the 2022 season, Malzahn's UCF offense finished 26th nationally in scoring, 11th in yards per game, and 8th in rushing.[63] UCF finished the regular season 9–3 and clinched a spot in theAAC Championship with a (46–39) win over rivalSouth Florida, but lost toTulane (28–45) in a rematch in the championship game.[64] The team finished with a 9–5 overall record with a (30–13) loss toDuke in theMilitary Bowl.[65][66]
Prior to the start of the 2023 season, Malzahn was extended by UCF through the 2027 season. The new contract included both an extension and a raise, bringing his annual salary to $4 million and increasing to $5.5 million starting in the 2026 season.[67]
In the 2023 season, UCF transitioned into the Big 12 conference as a part of the broader2021-2024 NCAA conference realignment.[68] The Knights' started the season 3–0, including a narrow (18–16) victory atBoise State. UCF lost the next 5 straight games, including a blown 28-point lead at home toBaylor that resulted in a (36–35) defeat, and a narrow (31–29) defeat at then-ranked #6Oklahoma. UCF proceeded to win 3 of their last 4 games, including a (45–3) major upset of then-ranked #15Oklahoma State, and a final (27–13) home victory overHouston to secure a bowl-eligible season for the eighth consecutive season, and the third straight under Malzahn. UCF finished the season with a 6–7 record, losing (30–17) toGeorgia Tech in theGasparilla Bowl.[69][70] During the season, Malzahn's offense ranked 5th nationally in rushing yards per game, and 8th nationally in total yards per game.[71] However, the UCF defense struggled, with the rushing defense ranking 121st nationally in rushing yards allowed per game, and ranking last in the Big 12.[72]
In the 2024 season, UCF started the season 3–0 including a 21-point comeback conference win againstTCU. However, UCF proceeded to lose 8 of the following 9 games, falling to 4–8 and failing to becomebowl-eligible for the first time since 2015.[73] This was also Malzahn's first season failing to make a bowl game as head coach in his career. On November 30, 2024, following the (14–28) loss toUtah, Malzahn resigned from his job as head coach at UCF to become the offensive coordinator atFSU.[74]
Malzahn resigned as the head coach at UCF on November 30, 2024, to become the new offensive coordinator atFlorida State.[75]
One of the most innovative offensive minds in football, Malzahn's is known for hishurry-up offense, an offensive philosophy that does not utilize ahuddle. In January 2003, he published a book and instructional video titledHurry Up No Huddle – An Offensive Philosophy (ISBN 9781585186549).[76] A majority of college football programs have adopted this no-huddle, up-tempo offensive philosophy. SeveralNational Football League teams adopted some of Malzahn's offensive strategies.[77]
Malzahn is from theHouston Nutt coaching tree.[78] Hiring Malzahn as offensive coordinator was a huge risk for Coach Nutt, as Malzahn, although one of the most dominant high school coaches, had never coached at the college level. However, Malzahn quickly became one of the winningest coaches and most known for his hurry up-no huddle offenses.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State Red Wolves(Sun Belt Conference)(2012) | |||||||||
| 2012 | Arkansas State | 9–3 | 7–1 | 1st | GoDaddy.com* | ||||
| Arkansas State: | 9–3 | 7–1 | *Did not coach bowl game | ||||||
| Auburn Tigers(Southeastern Conference)(2013–2020) | |||||||||
| 2013 | Auburn | 12–2 | 7–1 | T–1st(Western) | LBCS NCG† | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2014 | Auburn | 8–5 | 4–4 | T–4th(Western) | LOutback | 23 | 22 | ||
| 2015 | Auburn | 7–6 | 2–6 | 7th(Western) | WBirmingham | ||||
| 2016 | Auburn | 8–5 | 5–3 | T–2nd(Western) | LSugar† | 22 | 24 | ||
| 2017 | Auburn | 10–4 | 7–1 | T–1st(Western) | LPeach† | 12 | 10 | ||
| 2018 | Auburn | 8–5 | 3–5 | 5th(Western) | WMusic City | ||||
| 2019 | Auburn | 9–4 | 5–3 | 3rd(Western) | LOutback | 14 | 14 | ||
| 2020 | Auburn | 6–4 | 6–4 | 3rd(Western) | Citrus* | ||||
| Auburn: | 68–35 | 39–27 | *Did not coach bowl game | ||||||
| UCF Knights(American Athletic Conference)(2021–2022) | |||||||||
| 2021 | UCF | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–3rd | WGasparilla | ||||
| 2022 | UCF | 9–5 | 6–2 | T–2nd | LMilitary | ||||
| UCF Knights(Big 12 Conference)(2023–2024) | |||||||||
| 2023 | UCF | 6–7 | 3–6 | T–9th | LGasparilla | ||||
| 2024 | UCF | 4–8 | 2–7 | T–13th | |||||
| UCF: | 28–24 | 16–18 | |||||||
| Total: | 105–62 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hughes Blue Devils()(1992–1995) | |||||||||
| 1992 | Hughes | 4–6 | 3–4 | ||||||
| 1993 | Hughes | 6–4 | 4–2 | ||||||
| 1994 | Hughes | 10–4 | 4–2 | ||||||
| 1995 | Hughes | 8–3 | 4–2 | ||||||
| Hughes: | 28–17 | 15–10 | |||||||
| Shiloh Christian Saints()(1996–2000) | |||||||||
| 1996 | Shiloh Christian | 6–6 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1997 | Shiloh Christian | 14–1 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1998 | Shiloh Christian | 15–0 | 0–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1999 | Shiloh Christian | 15–0 | 1–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2000 | Shiloh Christian | 13–1–1 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| Shiloh Christian: | 63–8–1 | 14–0 | |||||||
| Springdale Bulldogs()(2001–2005) | |||||||||
| 2001 | Springdale | 7–4 | 4–3 | ||||||
| 2002 | Springdale | 12–2 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
| 2003 | Springdale | 8–4 | 5–2 | ||||||
| 2004 | Springdale | 12–1 | 7–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2005 | Springdale | 14–0 | 7–0 | 1st | |||||
| Springdale: | 53–11 | 29–6 | |||||||
| Total: | 144–36–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
Malzahn is married and has two children.[89][90]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
