In college football, you can count on one hand the number of coaches as gifted offensive master-mind as Gus Malzahn. After all, he’s one of the very few coaches to beat Alabama-version Nick Saban three times (2013, 2017, and 2019). After his illustrious coaching career came to an end this off-season, the natty-winning coach has officially traded his headset for a seat at the most powerful table in college football as a new member of the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee.

The word is, he is now one of only 13 people responsible for the high-stake of ranking the top 25 teams and ultimately deciding which 12 programs get to compete in the expanded playoff bracket. Starting his three-year term this spring, Malzahn joins the committee alongside other new faces like Louisiana Athletics Director Dr. Bryan Maggard and former Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford.

The group rotates members every year to ensure fresh perspectives. And Gus is filling a “coach’s seat” that was left vacant by outgoing veterans. His specific job is to bring a technical, “on-field” perspective to the room. He will help the committee look past just wins and losses to see the actual quality of play and make sure the right and deserving team gets into the playoffs.

The reason Malzahn was such a slam-dunk pick for this role is his legendary resume. He’s the only head coach in football history to win 100+ games at both the high school level and the collegiate FBS level. Of all of coaching stints, his most famous pit-stop was at Auburn. He served as the mastermind behind the 2010 National Championship offense led by Cam Newton. He later took the Tigers to the BCS National Championship Game as head coach in 2013. Even to this day, his 2013 Auburn still holds the records when it comes to most points (59) and rushing yards (545) in the SEC title game.

One of the most impressive feats in his coaching career is that he has produced 17 individual 1,000-yard rushers across his career. He has even led Auburn to become the first team in SEC history to lead the entire nation in rushing yards per game. Even in his final stint at FSU, despite having a disastrous season, he took the Seminoles offense that ranked 131st in scoring and turned it into the No. 1 offense in the ACC, averaging 472 yards per game.

The man has spent about 20 years competing in the brutal SEC and later moved to the Big 12 with UCF. Safe to say, he has a deep understanding of the different styles of play and the ‘strength of schedule’ arguments that always seem to dominate the playoff debate. Looking ahead, Malzahn’s retirement is going to be anything but quiet as he prepares for those weekly meetings at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine.

Now, with the gig, he’ll be spending his Saturdays watching more film than ever before. Only this time, he’ll be looking for flaws and strengths to debate in those closed-door sessions.

Is Gus Malzahn cut out for the Hall of Fame?

Yes, Gus Malzahn is definitely on the fast track to the College Football Hall of Fame. Most experts think it’s a ‘when,’ not an ‘if.’ Now that he’s officially retired, his countdown has now started. According to the rules, he has to wait three years after retiring before he can actually show up on a ballot, so we’re looking at maybe 2029 as the earliest he could be inducted. He’s already in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.

To get into the National Hall of Fame, a coach has to meet some pretty specific stats, and Gus clears them all easily. You need to have coached for at least 10 years and won at least 60% of your games. Gus finished his career with a .629 winning percentage and 105 (and 62Ls) wins at the college level. Plus, in his prime season, he swept nearly every major ‘Coach of the Year’ award in 2013, including the AP College Football Coach of the Year and the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award.

On top of that, he’s a revolutionist in the college football space. Malzahn literally wrote the blueprint for modern fast-paced football. Back in 2003, he published The Hurry-Up, No-Huddle: An Offensive Philosophy. Within little to no time, it became a “bible” for coaches looking to tire out defenses left and right.

The ideology behind it is that he treated football like a 60-minute fast break, snapping the ball so quickly that defenses couldn’t substitute players or call complex plays. Truth be told, his pace was so disruptive that even the great Nick Saban actually lobbied for rule changes to slow him down. That alone should be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame in the first place.