Report: Malzahn accepts offer to become next VU football coach

Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is Vanderbilt’s new football coach, according to a report at washingtonpost.com [1].

A Vanderbilt spokesperson had no comment on the report other than to say that no announcement or press conference has been planned regarding the search for a new football coach.

Malzahn reportedly was offered $3 million per season to replace Robbie Caldwell, who had the job for five months after Bobby Johnson’s sudden retirement and spent several days weighing the offer.

The 45-year-old routinely has directed some of the nation’s most productive offenses as the offensive coordinator at Auburn, Tulsa and Arkansas. He has spent the past two seasons at Auburn and this fall helped the Tigers earn a spot in the BCS title game. His quarterback, Cam Newton, was named the Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday.

In 2007, Tulsa led the nation in yards per game with Malzahn in charge. In his one season at Arkansas, he helped running back Darren McFadden finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Malzahn also has 14 years of experience as a high school head coach in Arkansas, where he won three state championships, coached two quarterbacks who set national passing records and one other, Mitch Mustain, who earned multiple national player of the year awards.

Vanderbilt has finished 2-10 each of the last two seasons and was 110th in total offense and 93rd in scoring offense out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools this fall.