Arkansas State President confident they can make Malzahn payroll

ASU President Has 'No Concerns' Financial Commitment To Gus Malzahn Is Strong

Published on Blog - ArkansasSports360.com | shared via feedly
 

Dr. Chuck Welch understands why outsiders are skeptical.

Welch, the Arkansas State System President, recognizes the financial commitment made to football Coach Gus Malzahn is substantially more than what the school has paid in the past. He knows the vision for the program with Malzahn at the helm is beyond anything ASU has outlined before.

Details of how ASU will supplement the coach’s estimated $850,000 beyond the state-paid maximum of $156,000 are hard to come by. Attorneys are still working through the official contract and specifics on compensation, but Welch told ArkansasSports360.com on Thursday there “are no concerns whatsoever on our part to meet our obligations” to Malzahn.

Read the rest of Chris Bahn's story  here.

You can also follow Chris' excellent coverage of Arkansas' sports on Twitter: @cbahn

When this blog broke the story of interest between Arkansas State and Malzahn, the chief obstacle to sealing the deal was said to be money. Malzahn made $1.3 million at Auburn in the 2011 season and reportedly turned down a contract worth between $2.5 and $3.0 million to take Vanderbilt after the 2010 season.

After a closer look at the proposed contract terms (as provided by sources), Malzahn wasn't taking as big of a pay cut to jump to Jonesboro as it seemed, at least not in terms of the total contract value.

While the fact that no contract has been signed might be a bit unsettling to ASU fans, Welch's comments suggest that they're going to get the i's dotted and t's crossed.