One of the first names tossed out into the rumorsphere following Memphis’ firing of Tommy West was Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
Malzhan, in his first season with the Tigers, has been flattered by the speculation, but seems content in his current situation for now.
“I’m flattered if my name gets thrown around, I guess, but I’m extremely happy here,” he said. “We’ve got big goals, big dreams here. I’m committed to that. That’s the only thing on my mind.”
Should Malzahn ultimately decide he wants to pursue the Tigers job, or any other job for that matter, head coach Gene Chizik said he would do all he could to help any of his assistants achieve their coaching goals.
“All of our guys know that I want to help them achieve every goal that they have set out to do as coaches,” Chizik said. “If that’s being a head coach, I want to help them, just like people helped me. We have some really good coaches, and obviously I don’t want to lose any of them, but my job as a head coach is to help them achieve their goals.”
Speaking of the Memphis opening, there have been a couple of names added to the rumor mill since the initial flurry of reporting, including one name from waaay out of left field.
According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, current Detroit Lions assistant and former Tigers defensive coordinator Tim Walton is a potential candidate. FootballScoop.com is reporting that ESPN studio guy Lou Holtz “is a major factor in the coaching search.”
Personally, I feel that Holtz is the perfect choice for the Tigers, if for nothing more than to get him off my TV screen every Saturday throughout the fall. For a couple of years, at least.
Oh yeah, Hire Lou-can’t beat UT-Holtz for sure!