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Former Auburn, UCF, and high school head coach Gus Malzahn retires

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby: Lawrence Fernandez02/02/26lawandfern

Former Auburn and University of Central Florida head coach Gus Malzahn announced his retirement from football. The Texas-born coach posted on X, “After 35 years (15 high school, 20 college), I’m grateful for the unbelievable journey God has allowed me to walk. It is time to step away from coaching.”

Malzahn continued by thanking his wife, his daughters, the administrators he has worked with, and the coaches who were with him in this journey. He closed his message by thanking his former players and expressing his pride in them becoming husbands and fathers.

Before his success in NCAA Division I Football, Malzahn started his coaching career in Arkansas high school football. He became Hughes High School’s offensive coordinator in 1991 and was promoted to head coach the following year. Malzahn also took over the football programs of Shiloh Christian High School and Springdale High School before becoming the University of Arkansas’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Gus Malzahn compiled a 144-36-1 record as a high school football head coach. His teams also played in five state championship games and won three titles. The Shiloh Christian Saints won back-to-back crowns in 1998 and 1999. Similarly, his 2005 Springdale squad finished the season undefeated at 14-0 to secure the Class 5A state title.

Before his first NCAA head-coaching stint at Arkansas State, Malzahn also served as offensive coordinator at Tulsa and Auburn. In 2013, Malzahn became the Tigers’ head coach, a role he would hold for the next seven years. After Auburn, he moved to UCF, where he coached the Knights for three years. Malzahn’s last coaching role was as Florida State’s offensive coordinator.

Gus Malzahn led Auburn to the 2013 SEC championship. This achievement also earned him SEC Coach of the Year honors. He also won a Sun Belt Conference title with Arkansas State. Malzahn had a 105-62 record as a college football head coach, making him the only individual to have at least 100 victories in college and in high school football.