Florida State University Athletics
Staff Directory
Gus Malzahn
- Title:
- Offensive Coordinator
Renowned offensive innovator Gus Malzahn returns for his second season as Florida State's offensive coordinator in 2026 after being hired on December 2, 2024.
Malzahn, with 20 years of experience as a head coach or offensive coordinator at the FBS level, has produced four consecutive top-15 rushing offenses and top-20 total offenses, including his first season at Florida State in 2025.
Prior to Florida State, Malzahn served as the head coach at UCF (2021-24), Auburn (2013-20) and Arkansas State (2012) following a decorated career as an offensive coordinator with Auburn, Tulsa and Arkansas.
Malzahn's 2025 Florida State team averaged 472.1 yards of offense per game, sixth-best in the nation and tops in the ACC. The Seminoles ran for 218.7 yards per game, 13th in the country, best in the ACC and the best rushing season at Florida State since 1995. FSU produced the most-improved offense from 2024, finishing 201.8 yards per game better than 2024. The Seminoles also had the best turnaround in yards per play (+2.28), third-down percentage (+22.1%), scoring offense (+17.6) and passing yards per attempt (+2.87).
Wide receiver Duce Robinson and center Luke Petitbon both earned first-team All-ACC recognition. Robinson became Florida State's first 1,000-yard receiver since 2019 while Petitbon spearheaded an offensive line comprised of four first-year Seminoles. Robinson finished top-10 nationally in receiving yards per game, yards per reception and 140-yard receiving games.
FSU topped 400 total yards nine times in 2025, including back-to-back games over 700 yards for the first time in school history. The Seminoles' 775 yards against Kent State were the most nationally in 2025 and the most for any team since 2020. FSU ran for a school-record 498 yards, eight touchdowns and 27 first downs against the Golden Flashes. FSU set a school-record with a 74-point win over East Texas A&M, rolling up 729 yards of offense, five rushing touchdowns and six passing touchdowns.
A staple of Malzahn offenses, FSU boasted one of the nation's most explosive offenses, ranking top-20 in plays of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 80 yards.
Malzahn's return to offensive coordinator followed 13 seasons as a head coach, most recently from 2021-24 leading the football program at UCF where his team produced a top-10 rushing attack and top-20 total offense each of his last three years. His FBS resume includes a national championship, another National Championship Game appearance, three conference championships and eight conference championship game appearances. He has a record of 105-62 as a collegiate head coach and is the only coach to earn 100 wins as an FBS head coach and as a high school head coach.
As head coach, he led Auburn to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game behind an offense that was the first SEC team to lead the country in rushing yards per game and only the second SEC offense to top 7,000 total yards in a season. As offensive coordinator, he directed offenses that showcased Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden. He has coached 16 1,000-yard rushers and three times has produced multiple 1,000-yard rushers in the same season. His 2007 Tulsa offense, with Florida State head coach Mike Norvell serving as his graduate assistant, is the only team in NCAA history to produce three 1,000-yard receivers, a 5,000-yard passer and a 1,000-yard rusher.
Malzahn’s offenses have averaged 448.8 yards of total offense per game over his 20 years as an offensive coordinator or head coach. He has directed offenses that eclipsed 5,000 yards of total offense 17 times, with eight seasons above 6,000 yards and three totaling more than 7,000 yards. His offenses have shown the ability to adapt to strengths year-over-year, evidenced by nine years with more than 3,000 passing yards, including three with more than 4,000 yards passing, and seven seasons with 3,000 rushing yards.
Each of Malzahn’s last three UCF teams produced a top-10 rushing attack as the Knights ranked seventh in 2024 with an average of 248.1 yards per game after ranking fourth in 2023 and ninth in 2022. The 2023 team also was eighth in the country in total offense, averaging 487.0 yards per game, fourth in third-down conversion percentage and eighth in passing yards per completion. His 2024 offense ranked 16th nationally in total offense behind running back RJ Harvey who ranked in the top five nationally in all-purpose yards, points per game, rushing yards per game and rushing touchdowns.
In 2023, Malzahn led the Knights into the Big 12 and became the only program out of the four that joined the conference to reach a bowl game in their initial season. He ended his first season at UCF with a win over Florida in the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl before taking the Knights to the 2022 AAC Championship Game with an offense that averaged 469.6 yards per game to rank 16th in the country in total offense.
Malzahn is responsible for the first two 50-point totals in the SEC Championship Game, a mark that has only been reached five times in the game’s 33-year history. His 2013 team set SEC Championship Game records with 59 points scored, 677 yards of total offense, 545 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in a 59-42 win over No. 5 Missouri. The 2010 team set a conference championship game record with its 39-point margin of victory by defeating No. 19 South Carolina 56-17.
In 2013, his first season as head coach at Auburn, he led a remarkable turnaround as the program posted a 12-2 record, won the SEC championship and played in the BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl. Malzahn earned the Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year awards and was named Coach of the Year by multiple national media organizations for his performance taking over a team that finished with three wins the season before. He was the third coach in SEC history, and first since 1947, to win the conference title in his first year.
Malzahn led the Tigers to eight victories over top-10 opponents during his time as head coach, including defeating No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama in a span of three weeks in 2017. Auburn reached the postseason in all eight of his seasons as head coach and won two SEC Western Division titles. He produced 32 NFL Draft picks in his time leading the Auburn program, with four first-round selections highlighted by offensive tackle Greg Robinson taken No. 2 overall in 2014, and 14 All-Americans.
In his first FBS head-coaching stint, Malzahn led Arkansas State to the 2012 Sun Belt Conference championship. The Red Wolves led the conference in rushing offense and passing efficiency and ranked in the top 25 nationally in rushing, passing efficiency, third-down conversion percentage, first downs, red zone offense and total offense.
Malzahn earned the 2010 Broyles Award as the nation’s best assistant coach while directing an offense that powered Auburn to the school’s first national championship since 1957. He directed quarterback Cam Newton to the Heisman Trophy and the Davey O’Brien, Maxwell and Manning awards before being selected No. 1 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. The 2010 Tigers averaged 499.2 yards of total offense, 287.2 yards of rushing offense and 41.2 points per game to lead the SEC in all three categories.
During his two seasons as co-offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Tulsa, Malzahn put together the best offense in the nation. The 2007 offense averaged 543.9 yards and 41.1 points per game before improving to 569.9 yards and 47.2 points per game in 2008. Tulsa led the nation in total offense in 2007 and 2008 and ranked second nationally in scoring offense in 2008.
Malzahn began his collegiate coaching career as offensive coordinator at Arkansas, where he helped the Razorbacks reach the SEC Championship Game with the nation’s No. 4 rushing offense and Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden. In addition to McFadden, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the offense featured first-round NFL Draft pick Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos and played seven years in the NFL.
Before entering collegiate coaching, Malzahn was a high school head coach in Arkansas for 14 seasons. His overall record of 144-36-1 included three state championships. He led Shiloh Christian to perfect 15-0 marks and the 2A state title in 1998 and 1999 and directed Springdale High School to a 14-0 record and the 5A state crown in 2005. Malzahn was inducted into the Arkansas High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
Malzahn earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Henderson State in 1990. He began his collegiate career at Arkansas, playing wide receiver for the Razorbacks in 1984 and 1985 before transferring to Henderson State. Malzahn and his wife, Kristi, are the parents of two daughters, Kylie and Kenzie.
| Years | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2025- | Florida State | Offensive Coordinator |
| 2021-24 | UCF | Head Coach |
| 2013-20 | Auburn | Head Coach |
| 2012 | Arkansas State | Head Coach |
| 2009-11 | Auburn | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach |
| 2007-08 | Tulsa | Assistant Head Coach/co-Offensive Coordinator |
| 2006 | Arkansas | Offensive Coordinator |
| 2001-05 | Springdale High School (Ark.) | Head Coach |
| 1996-2000 | Shiloh Christian High School (Ark.) | Head Coach |
| 1992-95 | Hughes High School (Ark.) | Head Coach |
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