Before he coached Auburn to the 2013 Southeastern Conference football championship in his debut season, Malzahn was known as a former high school coach with some middling head-coaching experience outside of the Power 5 conferences and an inventive, fast-paced offense.
When they fired Bret Bielema last fall, the Razorbacks made the homecoming pitch to Malzahn, an Arkansas native and former Hogs assistant. Instead, Malzahn parlayed the interest into a new seven-year, $49 million contract at Auburn.
Morris, 49, spent nearly two decades coaching high school football in Texas, winning more than 80 percent of his games and three state championships.