Gus Malzahn was a revelation for the Auburn Tigers in his first season, taking his squad to the national championship game. The Tigers lost to Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles in that BCS matchup and things have never really been the same since down on the plains.
Malzahn has been mediocre as Auburn's head coach, leading the team 8-5 records in 2014 and 2016 respectively with a 7-6 season sandwiched in between. Consider Malzahn's 1-3 bowl game record compared to the talent the Tigers recruit on a yearly basis and it starts to make sense that Auburn fans are quickly getting tired of the one time rising star.
But even former players? That's a line that former Auburn fullback Heath Evans was apparently willing to cross, perhaps spurred on by the Tigers blowing a 20-0 lead to LSU in an eventual 27-23 loss on Saturday in Death Valley.
Here's what Evans put on Twitter. He clearly feels he has what it takes to unseat Malzahn as Auburn's head coach:
For what it's worth, right now Evans is paid to give his opinion as an NFL Network analyst, and this is ceratinly a big opinion that has put him directly into the college football news cycle.
He does have some legitimate football chops, though, as a former 10-year NFL fullback and a Super Bowl champion. His Auburn credentials are also hard to argue. He played for the Tigers for three seasons from 1998-2000, notching 626 rush yards and six rushing touchdowns to go along with a touchdown catch.
He's a big name and he obviously feels he can bring Auburn back to prominence, but right now this is a bunch of talk from a guy who's paid to talk. Keep in mind, he has no formal coaching experience, let alone coaching experience in the SEC.
He may talk a big game, but Malzahn would still probably be better for the Tigers — at least in the here and now.