Jimmy Rane is probably a fairly typical big time booster. I’ve never heard a good explanation for why, but people routinely paint him as some vindictive maniac lurking in the shadows, or as Bobby Lowder 2.0. He’s no saint but he’s neither of those things. And I’d love to hear the explainer on Gus Malzahn being a POS. I’d imagine 2006 message board rumors would be the only source.
Did you forget how he got his chance at Arkansas? Almost forgot we have a dip shit Auburn fan on our message board.
Doesn't sound like the job is too big, it sounds like it isn't as advertised and the title doesn't match the role.
Look if [uck fay] Auburn wants a puppet I'll go over there for a year or two. I got nothing to worry about because the boosters aren't capable of not [uck fay]ing everything up so I'll get a front row seat to the inferno and take a paycheck.
I wouldn’t say that’s an unfair assessment necessarily, though the job not being as advertised is probably the most true. The title does match the role, it’s just that the portion of the job that was too big for him is incredibly hard at Auburn, it’s not something AD’s at other schools don’t have to be good at. For example, this far Danny White appears to be doing well at it.
Essentially Gus Malzahn was the HS head coach of the universal #1 QB prospect in America who manipulated the kid into signing with whatever school offered him a spot on the coaching staff as part of a package deal. Gus is hired as WR coach and then immediately bails for OC job elsewhere. Kid who followed him has a meh freshman season and transfers transfers to USC upon him leaving. Ultimately his QB career is a bust and he never makes any money playing football. Meanwhile 15 years later Gus has banked like 50 million. All made possible via Gus using that HS QB to advance his own selfish agenda as opposed to having the best interest of a kid who trusted him with his life. EDIT: Totally forgot they also had a 5* WR that Gus steered to Arky as well as part of the package deal. So in reality he screwed with the lives of 2 kids in order to obtain his own selfish agenda.
Gus promised 4 recruits to boosters from Springdale. I believe he delivered on 3. After the marriage that was forced didn't work out he bolted.
Man I totally forget about the others. Wow Here's a good article from a few years ago featuring the mother of Mitch Mustain detailing the damage Malzahn and Houston Nutt did in the long run. https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2014/9/4/6107977/mitch-mustains-mother-houston-nutt-gus-malzahn
Probably worth noting the following: -Gus was not WR coach at Arkansas that year, he was the OC, so at least in theory he would have been able to deliver on the promise that he would run his offense and these kids would have the chance to continue to play in it. -Malzahn was not given the chance to run his offense. Houston Nutt, being the child that he is, benched Mustain as soon as he made a mistake after an article came out with a quote Mustain gave in high school calling Nutt a dork (for having taken all of the credit for playcalling after a win and offering none to the players). Very possible Malzahn and Mustain both stay if Malzahn is allowed to run his offense. -With the benefit of hindsight we know Mustain was not going to be some superstar QB, he simply wasn't that good. The narrative that Malzahn tanked the career of a kid with a likely superstar future is misguided at best. -I'm not going to sit here and say Malzahn would have directed his players the exact same way if he wasn't going to Arkansas to be the OC, there's no way to know for sure what he might have done. But the implication that he just used those players to get the job is asinine. He was a really successful coach with an innovative offense and obviously hoped to have success at Arkansas with those players. And those kids had incredible HS careers, in large part due to Malzahn's coaching. Yes, they did go to Arkansas largely because of Malzahn and he did leave after one year, but mostly because it had become a toxic and untenable situation. That situation unfolding the way it did was not really Malzahn's doing, not to say he was blameless, but it doesn't unfold that way if Nutt doesn't promise to let him run his offense (and in public too) and then immediately back out of that promise and force Malzahn to run a dumb as hell mashup of mostly his offense and random pieces of Malzahn's.
I lived here during all of it. Every bit of it was shady. Gus used those players to get a job at Arky…period. Mustain was a spoiled brat. Gus ran from Arkansas when Nutt didn’t bow to him. Houston felt threatened. And that’s just the short version. Lots of people here thought Gus had a brilliant offense. His Fort Smith teams were great. But he ultimately turned about to be a more brilliant business man. As for Auburn, they rank up there with Clemson as the best closers in college football recruiting. It is a shady program and I called it here years ago. I think Kiffin ends up there. Match made in heaven. I will never forget the drunk frat boys outside Hess Hall in 1985 after beating them chanting “Auburn…Auburn, how’d you like to bite my ass” for hours. They are like the U’s little brother as far as I’m concerned. And we don’t play them this year so who cares?!? What matters is after all our dysfunctional AD BS for the last 15 years, we have one that broke it off in them. Go Damn Vols Danny!
It is 100% how he got his first collegiate coaching job and as soon as he got the opportunity to leave, he did
Come on Groves, you’re purposely ignoring context with this. It’d be one thing to go with your recruits to a MAC or CUSA school then leave for something bigger. He left for *Tulsa*. Hell Mustain has publicly said he doesn’t blame him for leaving, it wasn’t Malzahn’s fault the situation got toxic. Nutt essentially forced him out.