Gus Malzahn gives quote that has Florida State fans questioning his future

If you were looking for reassurance that Gus Malzahn would be back in 2026 to run in the Seminoles' offense, you didn't get that Sunday.

Malzahn, who has reportedly interviewed for the Arkansas job, was asked about his plans for next season and would not commit to returning to Tallahassee. The 61-year-old Malzahn has previously been  head coach at Arkansas State, Auburn and UCF.

"My intent is to help get bowl eligible and win this game. That's exactly what my focus is," Malzahn said.

Malzahn's highs and lows at FSU

Statistically, the FSU offense has made a major turnaround under Malzahn compared to the dumpster fire last year. Now Gus has been known to run up big numbers against weak competition and that was certainly the case this year with the Seminoles racking up 1,504 yards and 143 points combined in back-to-back weeks against East Texas A&M and Kent State. 

But even against the better competition, FSU has routinely outgained its opponents this season.

The 453.1 yards per game is good for 18th best in the nation and a 3rd-down conversion just short of 49% is in the top 10 in the country. But FSU's scoring efficiency has gone into the dumps over the past several weeks. The Seminoles are 90th in the country in yards per point, which means they've done a lot of damage in between the 20s, but fail to close out drives.

What happens if the Gus Bus departs Tallahassee?

It would force Mike Norvell (who is staying) to hire another offensive coordinator, his third in as many seasons. Malzahn brought offensive line coach Herb Hand and wide receivers coach Tim Harris Jr. with him, so there could be additional coaching attrition there.

FSU would have to file for a waiver to bring back Tommy Castellanos, and there's a better chance of that happening if Malzahn stays. Castellanos' return may or may not excite FSU fans, but Malzahn would probably prefer having him for another season.

Malzahn interviewing with Arkansas makes sense, he's deeply tied to the state and is considered one of the greatest high school coaches from the area. I don't know if the Razorbacks would be interested in Malzahn as a head coach, but as an offensivie coordinator, that would be a fit. There's also some G5 openings, like UAB, that could be on the table.