Gus Malzahn Turns Down $15 Million Offer To Coach at Vanderbilt

Wasn't Gus Malzahn a high school coach five years ago?

Wasn't he essentially fired at Arkansas after a one and done year there in 2006, after which he spent two seasons in exile at Tulsa before Gene Chizik rescued him and brought him to Auburn to tutor Cam Newton just last year?

How then does someone with that resume turn down $15 million in a 5-year deal to be the head football coach at a Southeastern Conference school?

Is Vanderbilt that much of a coaching graveyard?

Or does he have a better offer from Pittsburgh Athletics Director Steve Pederson up his sleeve? 

It was reported elsewhere in other media that Malzahn had accepted the Commodore helm. However, that appears to be erroneous.

It looks like he's still an Auburn Tiger for now—maybe until he gets a National Championship ring on his finger.

At any rate, no matter how bad a football program Vanderbilt has and will have, if you're Malzahn, how do you turn down $15,000,000? Especially when VU has nowhere to go but up.

Perhaps Gus didn't want to tangle with the likes of Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky annually in the rough and tumble SEC East.

Year in and year out, its basically the toughest group of schools from top to bottom to have on your schedule.  

Still, Malzahn may live to regret turning down the big bucks in Music City.

He would be the toast of the town in Nashville.

Remember that Malzahn has been the beneficiary of great quarterbacks that have made him look like a genius throughout his coaching career, starting with Mitch Mustain whom he coached in high school and college.

Remember also that he was rejected by his alma mater when Bobby Petrino was hired instead for the job he interviewed for at Arkansas in 2007.

Offers like the one Vanderbilt made him don't come along every day, especially for someone with his credentials.

Is Malzahn's agent giving him good advice?

Does he have several options? 

Gus is obviously a hot commodity in the coaching world, but he had better accept an offer while his iron is still hot.