May 24, 2013

Report: Malzahn Leaving Arkansas For Tulsa

January 15, 2007 by

Television station KOTV out of Tulsa reported during their Sunday night “Oklahoma Sports Blitz” show that Arkansas offensive coordinator and receivers coach Gus Malzahn has reportedly agreed to become the co-offensive coordinator for the Tulsa Hurricanes and their new head coach, Todd Graham.

Graham announced earlier on Sunday that he would be bringing six of his former assistants from Rice to join his staff.  Another assistant coach listed in the release, West Virginia tight ends coach Herb Hand, was named co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.  The person who would be assuming the other co-offensive coordinator position was not announced.  Reportedly, that is the position that Malzahn will fill.

Update 8:15 a.m.: Bo Mattingly reports on Press Row that Malzahn has agreed to a three year contract as Tulsa assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator.  A news conference is reportedly scheduled for later today.

Update 8:20 a.m.: Mattingly has additional details over on the Razorback Nation web site.

Update 9:40 a.m.:  Joe Schad over at ESPN.com is now reporting the story.

Update 1:40 p.m.:  J.R. and Henry provide their take.

Update 2:45 p.m.:  It’s official.

Filed Under: Arkansas Razorbacks, Football Tagged With:
  • LWA1964

    Hope this isn’t true but if HDN isn’t going to allow him to open up the offense and let him truly be the Offensive Coordinator who can blame him. Looks like several other folks will leave if this happens, both coaches and players. Oh well, life goes on.

  • JWH1961

    Unbelievable.

    If this pans out to be true, this speaks volumes about the “rumors” that have been downplayed all season long. To leave as the “offensive coordinator” of Arkansas for the “co-offensive coordinator” for TULSA???? MAJOR PROBLEMS AHEAD!!!!!!!!

    Give Gus the offense HDN—salvage the ’07 team with your “team” player steady stream of smoke and BS.

    We lose Williams, Houston, Anderson, now Gus, who will be next? Probably Monk & Mustain, along with Herring. Frank’s “experts” on the spread offense probably contributed to Gus’s decision to leave.

    This year, a potential national championship team falls short. Next year, back to 5-7 or 6-6. Heck of a deal……

  • TJinTX

    I just can’t believe this is true. It makes no sense. If it is true, this could be a PR nightmare for the AD. I can’t imagine the national media could or would spin this in Nutt’s favor.

    Unreal.

  • ArkFan

    How about sending Nutt to Tulsa and give Gus Nutt’s job? Send Frank to pasture. Promote Herring to AD, hire John Thompson as defensive coordinator. Hire Bobby Bowden’s son as offensive coordinator. We could probably land Miami’s Coker as assistant head coach to give us a lift from our sick state of affairs. All fans need to pray to the Football Gods………

  • PigOnASpit

    Players will be leaving soon enough. Watch Mustain, Cleveland, Crawford especially. I’m sure Ziemba won’t come now. Tejeda probably won’t either. Crosby Tuck?

    And what do you think if you’re Darren McFadden? Finally put into a somewhat innovative offense, second in the Heisman standings, and suddenly back to off-tackle right next season. Another 10-or-more win season just started looking like 6-6.

    Nutt’s hubris has cost us a lot in the past, but it will soon be apparent that he has slowly destroyed our program. Look for Markuson to be named OC in the coming week or so. Look for an already angry fanbase to not show up at games come September.

  • AAAFANOFAR

    Classic example of self imposed team destruction. Home grown talent now jumping ship in all directions. If Frank wishes to leave a legacy, he needs to dive into this situation head first —- and not come up for air until he secures Gus to remain with Razorbacks —- and puts his foot down and DEMANDS Nutt to turn over offense to Gus.

    How many defensive plays does everyone think Nutt called this past season. It is evident he called none……as defense shined like stars all season —- with exception of second half of USC game —- the game in which offense continued to give up the ball……………..

  • JPS1962

    It will be fun to watch the Tulsa offense next year. One can only dream what might have been at Arkansas. For the Hogs to consistently stay in the Top 20 and draw players to the program, we needed innovation and an identity unique from the other schools. Malzahn gave us hope that we were heading in the right direction. Now it’s back completely to HDN, and, regrettably, a program that will stay in the 5-7 to 7-5 range most years.

  • ARKANSAS

    It ain’t over till it’s over……..come on Frank…….work your magic!!!!!!! Surely if Alabama can pay Saban $4 million, we can scrape up a half a mil to keep Gus here — along with your personal guarantee that Gus RUNS the offense.

  • OwassoHog

    It’s just a good thing we don’t have Tulsa on our schedule anymore!

  • alltelracer

    This was somewhat rumored on Sports Rap. They also mentioned that Arkansas might go after Larry Coker(former Miami coach) to come in and replace Gus. I’d say they better get a good name. This will probably hurt recruiting and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some current players follow Gus. I’m sick of all the turmoil and am seriously considering giving up my seats.

  • Waldron Hog

    Road trip to Tulsa next fall. TipsterHog is driving the bus. Does anyone have a schedule?

  • http://www.eschatology.org SoonerSooie

    Stunned!! THat is all I can say. I have tried desperately not to believe all the negative rumors, even though what I so often saw on the field indicated that GM was not truly in charge after all. There were times that he perhaps was, but, nonetheless, I am now inclined to believe that if Malzahn feels compelled to leave Arkansas for Tulsa, that all of the rumors of dissatisfaction, strife, and frustration will have been proven true after all.

    My chief concerns now are the current recruiting class. It has seemed to me that other than Danny Nutt, that Malzahn has been the one coach that the top potential recruits have mentioned the most! Gads, with his loss, our recruiting class will almost undoubtedly go in the flusher.

    In addition, while I really don’t think that Mustain will leave, I am not so sure about some of the others. There are several others that may indeed leave. If we see an exodus of talent as a result of this, and the failure of the recruiting class, the program is in for dark days indeed!

    Wow!!

    Nevertheless, WPS!!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.razorbloggers.net Walking on Sunshine

    Well, Houston did this to himself. Not sure the patient can survive this self inflicted wound. They don’t have a clue as to how big this PR disaster will be…especially when half of last year’s freshmen skill players up and enroll at Tulsa.

    Unbelievable.

  • OwassoHog

    We need to voice our agreement/disagreement directly and loudly to:

    UofA Athletics

    Frank Broyles

    Houston Nutt

    Razorback Foundation Board of Directors

    Ralph Bradbury

    Scott Bull

    Rick Chapman

    George R. Cole, Jr.

    Chuck Dicus

    W. Sykes Harris, Sr.

    H. L. Hembree

    Gene Hudson

    Jim Lindsey

    Ken Mourton

    Charles Scharlau

    I could use a few more phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

  • OwassoHog

    Surprise, surprise… it appears that Houston is ducking his phone!!! Too bad – he can’t hide forever!

  • http://www.razorbloggers.net/ TipsterHog

    alltelracer – The rumor on Sports Rap last week was that Gus might be hired as head coach of Tulsa. Chuck downed that by saying that Malzahn was probably on a “long list” and that they probably weren’t really that interested in him.

    This story however…Malzahn to Tulsa as OC…appears to have caught nearly all of the so called “insiders” by surprise.

  • http://www.razorbloggers.net/ TipsterHog

    Owasso…just wanted to say thanks for posting the comment late last night and alerting us to this story.

  • Bluffhawg

    Weve been lied to all along!

  • OwassoHog

    Yep, at least 2 heads should roll for this… naming Head Coach and Athletic Director!

  • d.black

    I dont blame gus for leaving,because nutt is not going to let anyone call plays except himself.Now how many players are going to leave.Mustain,Cleveland,Crawford,Monk and all the top recruits that have commited. This makes Ziemba decision easy.We need to get a new used car salesman up there.Someone with a little dignity and can speak the truth.The best man for the job just left for N.C.I wonder when hawg illustrated is going to report this news.

  • CrazHogs

    Are you kidding? I can the national championship blowin’ away in the wind. Back to the 7-5 (if we are lucky) seasons. Mitch an Ben Clevland are going to go also, why wouldn’t they? When Gus goes to Tulsa, we should play them just so we can destroy them and he can see what he left. Come on hogs, at least go to a bowl next year!

  • jay rowland

    If saban is worth 30 millon I would bet gus would at least be worth 400,000 per year. There are a lot of dollars floating around in NWA and a few of those may have let Gus believe that he has some love in razorback land.

  • OwassoHog

    If these rumors are true, my guess it is too late to convince Gus to stay based on dollars. He is probably leaving because of many of the same reasons that DW left.

    Broken promises!

    To me, this is really bad news no matter how you spin it. Having a high profile OC leave the SEC for Conference USA! Be prepared for the fall-out guys! As this is probably going to do more “damage” then most expect.

    And it should too!

  • austin duncan

    Haha.. Most of you guys don’t know what you are talking about. Nutt is going to lead The Hogs to the SEC Championship again this year, but win it. Why the hell would Monk leave? He loves Arkansas. Nutt is actually a good coach, you try and get a great record playing in the SEC.

  • jcp0204

    Wow I just signed on to find out this devastating news. How could Houston and Frank let this happen right in the middle of recruiting. When are they ever going to get any stability in Fayetteville?

    It must have been excrutiatingly unpleasant up there for Malzahn to make this decision. I mean from the SEC to Tulsa….not exactly a good career move for him….or hum maybe in the long run it is if Nutt won’t give him a chance to run his offense?

    I really expect Mustain to transfer now but I doubt it will be to Tulsa. What a mess!! The program would have been better off to let the Springdale bunch go out of state. We would have suffered for a while but in the end our program would have been better off today.

    And on the subject of hiring Larry Coker as offensive coordinator…..please no !!!! Coker ran the Miami program into the ground. Let’s go with a young, energetic up and comer….maybe the OC from Boise State is available.

  • Bluffhawg

    Hogblogger, why do you call him Houston Dale? Is that your way of talking down to him or do you just like the way it sounds?

  • OwassoHog

    Mean while, Florida continues to battle every team and Arkansas battle itself!

    Just when we had our mo-jo going somewhat.

  • Tami

    Season tickets for Tulsa just skyrocketed!!

  • OwassoHog

    J.R. and Henry’s (see Update 1:40 p.m) is RIGHT ON TARGET. We need to see more folks holding Houston and Frank accountable for their actions.

  • Bluffhawg

    If season ticket sales skyrocketed in Tulsa, it had to come from the Springdale Mafia! And if so Good-bye and Amen!

  • 10KHog

    Bluffhawg… are you kin to HDN? You’re awful defensive of him. What’s your take on this? I suppose you don’t think this is a bad thing.

  • Bluffhawg

    I’m not real happy about this situation. I can’t however say that I didn’t see it coming. It probably goes back to when the parents went above HDN’s head (or Gus sent them). I do however feel we’ve been lied to all season and I know have a better understanding why our offense did not seem to be prepared for the bowl game. Way too many distractions.

  • ITYSArky

    It’s a little late to be asking anyone to offer more $ to Malzahn. He’s gone. But hey, that leaves room for Frank to give houston another fat undeserved, unearned raise. His ego has finally toppled the Razorback nation. Also, anyone who thinks a player can’t get as much NFL attention at Tulsa as he can at Arkansas is living in that dream world where Arkansas is a real contender in the SEC. I would bet next year we couldn’t compete in Conference USA. Go Hogs, beat yourselves.

  • BelAirHawg

    Dale has an ego the size of Texas… and we all know the only things to come from Texas are Steers and Queers….

  • http://www.razorbloggers.net/ HogBlogger

    BluffHog – He was called “Houston Dale Nutt” when he was recruiited at Arkansas. Lou Holtz used to call him ‘Houston Dale’ on his television show. So, I’ve just always thought of him as ‘Houston Dale’.

  • ses

    I was once a holdover, unwanted assistant forced on a head coach. Bad for both. Good for Gus that he found a greener pasture and also good for HDN that the distraction is gone.

  • ITYSArky

    If you mean having loads of talent and potential talent, an up and coming offensive mind, and a group of kids that could have competed for a national title next year then Yeah, the distraction is gone.

  • bookman28

    Very sad. Nutt’s first season was won with Ford’s recruits. He should not have been raised to the status of Messiah for that. If he had not lucked out on Matt Jones as the 4th quarterback in what would have been the 3rd loss in 4? games in 1999?, he would have been history at that point, with a record not much better than Jack Crowe. Matt Jones single-handedly gave the Hogs 2 to 3 additional wins per year in what were largely mediocre seasons. The only consistently solid part of our game has been the Defense, which he had no hand in. I do think he has also received too much blame in the poor seasons, but it appears his ego is a factor, and it is costing Frank Broyle’s his legacy. Perhaps Frank’s superego will come to realize Nutt is ruining his fame and finally cut the cord. It would be great to get Malzahn back. His future is clearly bright.

  • GONZOHOG

    I’m not sure exactly, how much control was promised to Malzahn, over the offense, but I have a feeling it was more than should have been promised. Not only to Malzahn, but also to top notch recruits, that would have gone elsewhere. Take Damian Williams for example. Why would this kid go to the extreme of trying to find another college to attend, knowing damn well, he would have to sit for a year, while just waiting to start over again, in a brand new system? And now, why would Malzahn jump all over the same OC position, at a different school? I am starting to believe, more and more, now, that Malzahn was lead to believe this, only for the quality of players that he was capable of bringing with him. If this is true, this would make Houston Nutt no better than your typical, low down, lying,greedy politicion. I,ve always had respect for Houston Nutt in the past., as a man more than a coach. I hope he has not gone to the point of fouling that up. Once you lose respect as a man, you might as well be dead. Come on HD, tell us it isn’t true.

  • BelAirHawg

    Respect and Houston Dale mentioned in the same sentence…. wow… what ever your smoking let me know…. we’re talking about the same guy who couldnt even pronounce Gus’ last name correctly and constantly referred to him as the high school coach throughout his hiring. This is also the same guy who I have never herd place the blame on his shoulders. I speculate that even Nutt’s ego has an ego… However he might be the smartest man on the plannet, who else could make 1.5 Mil a year at making excuses? Its like he majored in BS and minored in suck at OK ST and wound up making seroius coin. Maybe if I get my ego that big and make that many excuses one day I’ll make half as much as he makes per year….

  • GONZOHOG

    Sorry BelAirHawg, I don’t smoke, but I understand where your coming from to. There’s a lot of speculation about Houston right now, from his coaching ability, to his ego, all the way up to his ability to hang on to a job, most people don’t believe he deserves. But, I say once again, I always had respect for Houston Nutt, not Coach Houston Nutt. I just don’t know what to think about anybody right now. All I know for sure is, I’m sick and tired of Frank Broyles.! I’m sick and tired of hype! I’m sick and tired of false promises! And last but not least, I’m sick and tired of rooting for a program, that is fast becoming the laughing stock of college football! I’m 41 years old now. I’ve been a dedicated hog fan since I was 9. Hate to say it, but I’ve had enough!! I wonder if “good ‘ol Frank” has ever given thought to moving to Iraq, I here they need a new dictater there.

  • Bluffhawg

    I’m also a huge hog fan and go back to the days of the mid 60′s (glory days). It appears to me that we have always had meddling and appears to roll down hill. Frank is not willing to let go of Hd. coaching and Houston O.C. It’s been going on since Lou was there and I guess will never change.

  • Jayson

    Houston Nutt is a jackass. He really killed our shot of having a really good season next year. I don’t understand why he didn’t give Gus more chances to run his offense, I mean wasn’t he the offensive coordinator. Now because of Nutt’s eagerness to be a hero, we are short of what could have been a great offense under Gus. Not to mention we also lost the only decent QB who could take Dick’s place if injured. I call for a total reform of the Arkansas sports dept., with the exception of the track coach. My prediction for next season 6-4.

  • Jayson

    My bad, I meant 6-6.