Arkansas Football: 3 best potential replacements for Bret Bielema

1. Gus Malzahn

Rumors are abound that the top choice for Arkansas is Gus Malzahn. He coached high school football in Arkansas before taking the offensive coordinator position at Arkansas under some hokie circumstances.

Malzahn brought quarterback Mitch Mustain and wide receiver Damian Williams. Malzahn brought those two studs with him from Shiloh Christian to the Razorbacks in what seemed to be a package deal. After 2006 though, Gus was gone and over at Tulsa as its offensive coordinator. Mustain and Williams both transferred out of Arkansas.

Malzahn wound up the offensive coordinator at Auburn turning multi-transfer Cam Newton into a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, national champion and top NFL draft pick. Malzahn left Auburn for the head football position at Arkansas State before being named the Auburn head football coach after Gene Chizik was fired. He has led the Tigers to the national title game, losing a close game to the Florida State Seminoles.

Besides that 12-2 “kick-six” season, Malzahn has been winning just seven or eight games a year over the past five years.

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If Auburn drops another game to Alabama, making it four in a row since the kick-six in 2012, Gus may either be out of a job or could be looking for something new. Auburn pays more than Arkansas, but only $500,000 more which could be negligible at this point in Malzahn’s career. He’s made plenty of money and being back in Arkansas, where he was a player early before transferring to Henderson State which is also in Arkansas, might be the lure for Malzahn. I have no doubt he can recruit Arkansas and win in the SEC.