SZVETITZ COLUMN: Everything moves fast in Malzahn's world

This time of year, Gus Malzahn doesn’t get very much shuteye.

Maybe it’s all the coffee. Maybe it’s all the “to do” lists.

Or, maybe, it’s because he’s just too excited.

“It’s a good thing,” Auburn’s first-year offensive coordinator said Monday. “It’s not like a bad thing. You’re excited. You’re ready to get back out there and get to work. It’s good.”

All good. And all happening fast. Very fast. Just like his offense.

Malzahn was hired just over three months ago. Seem longer? Yeah, it does for him, too.

But that’s all part of the job. Especially one that comes with a 500-piece assembly kit like the one awaiting him on the Plains.

As Gene Chizik’s first offensive hire, Malzahn had the task of not only helping Auburn’s new head coach put together the rest of the offensive staff, but he also had to start recruiting high school players for the Tigers, as National Signing Day loomed just six weeks away.

Then there was the whole task of evaluating Auburn’s current talent, meeting with them and setting up a gameplan that would bridge the gap between whatever you want to call the offense the Tigers ran last season to what Malzahn is all about.

Then there was the moving, the separation from his family, figuring out where he was going to live and all the other logistical nightmares that go along with a new address and position.

Oh, and he still had to coach and prepare for the GMAC Bowl as Tulsa’s offensive coordinator.

Talk about multi-tasking. Hence the coffee. Lots of coffee.

“Too much,” he said.

But he did it.

He made the transition.

Now, three months later, Malzahn’s family is moved in. He’s sharing his newly purchased house with his entire family, and not just rooming with his oldest daughter, Kylie, 20, who is also a student at Auburn, like he did when they first got to Auburn.

“It feels like home,” Malzahn said. “We even got the dog.”

And he’s not just talking about his residence. The offensive coordinator means Auburn — the school, the town, the team, the program — feels like home.

And he’s loving it. Even the pace. Which, by watching his offense, is just the way he wants it.

“Things are going very quick right now,” Malzahn said. “But it’s a good quick. It really is.”

Good, because he’s surrounded by a coaching staff that complements him and his offense.

Good, because he’s back in the SEC.

Good, because he can see light bulbs going off in the heads of his players as they are starting to pick up his offense two weeks into spring practice.

Good, because, well, it’s another challenge that the former high school head coach craves so much.

Good, because it’s fast.

Sleep can wait. He’s got a bunch of work to do.

“I get consumed on what I’m doing,” he said. “Some of it is you work hard, but a lot of it is, you know, when you got something on your mind real strong, your mind doesn’t slow down when you go to sleep.”

So bring on the coffee. Just not too much.

“I’m trying to cut down,” Malzahn said. “This spring, I’ve got to where after 9 o’clock, I’m not drinking any coffee.”

How much does he have before then?

“Probably a lot,” he said. “But I’m trying to cut down.”

Just one more thing to do.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at mszvetitz@oanow.com or 737-2513.