Gus Malzahn Arthur Gustav " Gus " Malzahn III ( born October 28 , 1965 ) is an American football coach and former player . Malzahn is the current head coach at Auburn University , after serving as head coach at Arkansas State University from 2011 - 2012 . From 2009 to 2011 , Malzahn served as the offensive coordinator at Auburn University . In 2010 , a season in which the Auburn Tigers won the national championship , Malzahn received the Broyles Award , which recognizes the top assistant coach in college football . Prior to his stints at Arkansas State and Auburn , Malzahn served as offensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas and the University of Tulsa , respectively . Playing career . Malzahn graduated from Fort Smith Christian High School in Fort Smith , Arkansas in 1984 and was a walk - on receiver at Arkansas under then - head coach Ken Hatfield in 1984 and 1985 before transferring to Henderson State University located in Arkadelphia , Arkansas , where he was a two - year letterman ( 1988 , ' 89 ) and earned his bachelor ' s degree in physical education in 1990 . Coaching career . High school coaching career . Malzahn got his start as the defensive coordinator at Hughes High School in 1991 . He became head coach in 1992 and in 1994 Hughes reached the state championship game with an upset of Pine Bluff Dollarway . Hughes fell just short in the title game , losing to Lonoke on an interception in the final minute . Malzahn ' s success at Hughes and his wide - open attack landed him a head coaching position at Shiloh Christian in 1996 . From 1996 – 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 ) . Malzahn guided the Saints to back - to - back state championships in 1998 and 1999 . In 2001 , Malzahn took over for legendary coach Jarrell Williams at Springdale 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 to Fort Smith Southside . Springdale was on track for another state title game appearance in 2004 before Little Rock Central 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 5A championship , outscored its opponents 664 – 118 , including a 54 – 20 victory over West 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 recruits Mitch Mustain , Ben Cleveland , Andrew Norman , and Damian Williams who all eventually joined their coach at the University of Arkansas . Offensive tackle Bartley Webb decided to leave the state to play for the University of Notre Dame . College coaching career . University of Arkansas . Malzahn joined Houston Nutt ' s staff on December 9 , 2005 , as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach , 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 was part of the Razorbacks 2006 season in which they won the SEC Western Division championship . However , their season ended with three straight losses to LSU , Florida in the SEC Championship Game , and Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl to finish with a 10 – 4 record . There was a widely reported tension between Houston 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 by " Rivals . com " . In January 2007 , Malzahn received an offer from the University of Tulsa and his friend , new head coach Todd Graham . He took the Tulsa job to be offensive coordinator and Assistant Head Coach . Shortly after , both Mustain and Williams decided to transfer to the University of Southern California . University of Tulsa . During the 2007 season Malzahn emerged as one of the premier offensive coordinators in the nation , as Tulsa ranked 1st in the nation in total yards per game , ahead of Texas Tech and Hawaii , and with a more balanced attack than both teams . The Golden Hurricane also ranked 3rd in the nation in passing 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 . After the regular season , Malzahn interviewed for the open position at Arkansas once Nutt resigned in November 2007 . In 2008 , Tulsa was again the nation ' s most prolific attack , leading with nearly 7 , 980 total yards of offense averaging 570 yards per game . The Golden Hurricane were ranked 2nd in the nation in scoring behind Oklahoma , scoring over 47 points per game . Tulsa not only ranked 2nd in the nation in scoring that year , but finished with the 2nd highest scoring offense in the history of major college football . The offense was also the nation ' s most balanced attack , ranking 5th in the nation in rushing and 9th in passing . The Tulsa quarterbacks finished 3rd in the nation in passing efficiency , behind only Oklahoma and Texas . Auburn University . Malzahn was named the offensive coordinator at Auburn University by first year head coach Gene Chizik on December 28 , 2008 . 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 and 17th in scoring with over 33 points per game after being tied for 110th in the nation in scoring the previous season . 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 ) . 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 after being ranked 69th prior to the new coaching staff ' s arrival . Passing numbers also improved under the new offensive scheme , with the passing efficiency ranking ending up 22nd nationally after being ranked 106th in 2008 . Senior quarterback Chris 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 . 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 ' s offense , led by Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton at quarterback , helped Auburn achieve an undefeated record , a No . 1 national ranking after the regular season and a berth in the BCS Championship game , played on January 10 , 2011 . Auburn led the SEC in scoring offense , total offense , rushing offense , pass efficiency , first downs and first down conversions on its way to a 13 – 0 record and a 56 – 17 victory over South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game . Malzahn was awarded the 2010 Broyles Award , recognizing him as the top assistant coach in the nation . Auburn went on to win the 2011 BCS National Championship Game against Oregon . In 2011 , ESPN selected Malzahn as one of the best recruiters in the Southeastern Conference . Arkansas State University . On December 13 , 2011 , Malzahn left Auburn to accept the position of head football coach at Arkansas State University . In his first and only year at Arkansas State , Malzahn lead the team to a 9 - 3 record and a Conference Championship with a win over Middle Tennessee State , 45 - 0 . Return to Auburn University . On December 4 , 2012 , Malzahn was announced to replace Gene Chizik as the head coach of Auburn University shortly after winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship . Malzahn ' s first hires were Defensive Coordinator Ellis Johnson ( former Head Coach at Southern Miss and previously coached as Defensive Coordinator at several SEC schools ) and Offensive Coordinator Rhett Lashlee ( who follows Malzahn from Arkansas State where he was also the Offensive Coordinator ) . Offensive philosophy . Malzahn is known for his no - huddle offensive philosophy . In January 2003 , he published a book and instructional video titled " Hurry Up No Huddle – An Offensive Philosophy " ( ISBN 9781585186549 ) , that became the blueprint for the offensive wave engulfing the state . Several NFL teams adopted some of Malzahn ' s offensive strategies . Malzahn is perhaps best known for the " Wildcat " formation , which became famous during his year at the Razorbacks , a variation on the single wing .