Auburn exudes confidence at SEC Media Days amid hot seat talk and inexperience at quarterback
HOOVER, Ala. — You had to be listening closely to catch them. Gus Malzahn isn’t the type of person who would take a public shot at anyone, basically ever.
But a subtle jab? The seventh-year head coach fired a few of those off during his 30-minute address at SEC Media Days on Thursday.
When asked what led to him to resuming offensive play-calling duties three years after relinquishing them, Malzahn said “through the years, you get advice and all of that, and of course I made a mistake,” referencing the internal pressure he received to give up what got him to this level of college football in the first place.
When asked about what that offense will look like this season, Malzahn made clear that the idea of playing at an up-tempo pace has changed significantly since he first arrived at Auburn in 2009.
“I think we were one of the few, if the only team, playing fast,” he said. “Other teams were griping and all this. And now everybody is playing fast. Even the ones that had health issues and all that." As in the teams using injuries to try to slow the Tigers down.
Those lines, subtle as they were, are indicative of Malzahn’s mood at the unofficial kickoff of the 2019 SEC football season — outward confidence and a feeling that Auburn can truly, realistically compete in the SEC this year.
“We got a chance,” Malzahn said. “Not every team in the league can say that.”
Of course, every team does tend to say that at the annual media circus that returned to Hoover this year but will be back on the road in Atlanta next year and Nashville, Tennessee, the year after that. Every team in the league is undefeated. This is the time for unbridled optimism.
OLD RIVALS: Harbaugh takes a swipe at former Ohio State coach Meyer
NEW KING: Clemson, not Alabama, is now face of college football
HEATED RIVALS: Clemson, Alabama players talk tash at media days
One year ago, 150 miles east in Atlanta, defending SEC West champion Auburn was considered the second-best team in the division, the top contender to unseat Alabama for a second straight year. The Tigers returned 3,000-yard passer Jarrett Stidham, record-setting wide receiver Ryan Davis and most of a standout defense.
No one expected then that they would go 7-5 in the regular season and have to settle for a berth in the Music City Bowl. That, as you might expect, has led to somewhat diminished expectations for Auburn this year. At best, it will be picked to finish third in the SEC West behind Alabama and LSU, and it may come in behind Texas A&M, as well.
Only seven months ago, Malzahn dealt with rampant speculation about his immediate future as Auburn’s head coach despite the fact that he had only just finished the first year of a seven-year, $49 million contract with a buyout that, at the time, was close to $32 million. There are many who believe he’s coaching for his job this season, regardless of how much it would cost to make a change.
"Some places eight wins, they celebrate. That's just not part of Auburn," Malzahn said. "I got a job that expects to win championships, and I expect to win championships. I knew that when I signed up for that. In the years that we win championships, it's good. The years we don't, it's hot seat this, hot seat that. And I think out of the six years, four had been this same rodeo. And it's just part of the job description."
So where does the confidence Malzahn displayed Thursday come from? Another answer might tell that story — asked what the most important thing Auburn needs to do during preseason camp outside of identifying who its starting quarterback will be, Malzahn said, “it’s identify our starting quarterback.”
That’s really the only question Auburn has to answer about its roster during preseason camp, whether it will be redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood or true freshman Bo Nix that takes the first snap in the opener against Oregon in Arlington, Texas.
On offense, the Tigers bring back their top four rushers at running back, three of their top five wide receivers (plus 2017 standouts Eli Stove and Will Hastings, who are healthy after a lost 2018 season), and five senior starters on the offensive line. On defense, they’ll feature maybe the deepest and most talented defensive line in the entire country, a linebacker group brimming with potential despite the fact that its replacing three seniors and four of five starters in the secondary.
The three players who represented Auburn at SEC Media Days on Thursday — defensive tackle Derrick Brown, defensive end Marlon Davidson and left tackle Prince Tega Wanogho — could've easily been on NFL rosters as top-four round picks right now. But they each decided to return, as did others who also considered leaving school early.
"We just talked about it, and we just had to visualize what it could be. I feel like that's one of the motives of coming back. We saw it and we could actually picture it,” Wanogho said. “Whenever I start something I always want to finish it. That's how I grew up. This is going to be my last year, the NFL is going to be there, and that's what God has planned for me. I feel like this right here I'm trying to enjoy with my brothers because the NFL is a business, and in this moment, you're just trying to enjoy the moment with your friends and people who I've known for years."
Auburn does still have to answer that quarterback question. Malzahn said he’d like to do that “earlier rather than later” during preseason camp, though he won’t set a deadline. The Tigers have to navigate a brutal schedule, too — road trips to Texas A&M, Florida and LSU and home dates with Georgia and Alabama accompany that high-profile opener against the Ducks.
But the strength of both lines, the talent and production returning at the skill positions, and the depth and experience on defense give Auburn reason for optimism. You could tell Thursday that Malzahn feels it, even with all the pressure that’s on him to perform this season.
"You know, this will be my 10th year at Auburn. During that time, we played for two national championships. We won one. We played for three SEC championships. We won two," Malzahn said. "And when I look at the team that we have this year, there's some of the same characteristics that those championship teams had, and that's what's exciting for me."