Gus Malzahn to Arkansas State: 5 Better Head Coaching Jobs He Could Have Had

Gus Malzahn was one of those coaches that had an opportunity to go almost anywhere he wanted to go to become a head coach for the first time. He was one of the top offensive coordinators in the country and many people respected him in all of college football.

He ended up picking Arkansas State, a team that has had little success and is in the Sun Belt conference. This is by far the most shocking hire of the year and one of the most of all time.

Here are a few other schools he could have gone to instead.

North Carolina

North Carolina may not be a top football program, but they're far better than Arkansas State. The Tar Heels are located in the ACC, which is a very inconsistent division with half the teams experiencing down years. He could have had major success with this program and reached a BCS bowl in no time.

He interviewed for the job but for whatever reason wasn't interested in the opportunity.

Penn State

We can all understand why he wasn't interested in this job, but regardless of the circumstances, it's still a better gig than Arkansas State. Sure, they're currently going through a sex scandal and the majority of the college football world feels different about them right now.

But all of that will change eventually and it will be business as usual at Penn State.

These type of jobs don't open up everyday and I'm sure the Nittany Lions would have loved to have him come aboard.

Ole Miss

Ole Miss may not be Auburn, but at least he'd be staying in the SEC. Recruiting would really take off and the Rebels would once again become relevant in the SEC after a couple of horrible years under Houston Nutt.

Ole Miss is probably a forgotten team right now but any coaching job in the SEC is better than the Sun Belt.

UCLA

It seemed like nobody wanted to become the head coach of the Bruins, so they had to hire a former NFL coach that has no college coaching experience. Malzahn could have taken his offensive talents to the Pac-12 and thrived in a conference that plays little defense.

It's also in California, who in the world would say no to that?

Texas A&M

The Aggies may be happy with their head coach in Kevin Sumlin, but Malzahn could have had this job as well. It was probably the best opportunity he would have had this season. 

Texas A&M is moving into the SEC, has a ridiculous recruiting class and could compete from day one in the toughest conference.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him on Twitter @Randy_Chambers or via email at [e-mail]