AUBURN, Alabama — Gus Malzahn's former boss knows what it’s like being tugged from several different directions as the head coach of a major college football program.

Gene Chizik understands how difficult it is being a head coach, especially in the SEC, which is why he finds Malzahn’s renewed vow to focus on calling the offense's plays in the Music City Bowl and the 2019 season so interesting.

“Gus is as good as there is in the business,” Chizik said Wednesday on “The Lunch Break” on WGZZ-FM. “Where it gets a little bit hairy for guys is when you sit in that seat and you have so many other things pulling at you. And people are going to go, 'Like what (things)? Like what?' Well, there's a million things, OK?

"Everything from the [athletics director] calling you out having to get your input on facility plans, to any discipline issues — I mean, it never ends. It never ends. Recruits that you're calling throughout the day. They can only talk to you at this very moment and I'm in a meeting right now and we're finishing up a third-down game plan, but Freddie is on the phone, who's a 5-star, and him and his parents want to talk to you for an hour. If you don't talk to him right now, then you may not get him. Right? And you've got to battle Georgia and Alabama and everybody else.

"I could go on and on and on with a list of things that pulls a head coach away from his laser focus on game planning and calling plays. And it's real. It's a real challenge."

Malzahn hired Memphis offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kenny Dillingham on Sunday to hold the same job title at Auburn, but the 28-year-old assistant coach will not call plays. Malzahn announced he will resume play-calling duties, something he handled during his first two seasons as head coach in 2013 and 2014.

Malzahn changed his tune on handling play calls after several games in the 2016 and handed the reins to then-offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.

"Sometimes reality hits you," Malzahn said on Sept. 27, 2016. "In this day and time in this league, to be the head coach and call an offense is not realistic, at least for me."

Lashlee left the staff for the same gig at UConn following the 2016 season and Malzahn hired Chip Lindsey, who grew tired of his tug-of-war with the offense with Malzahn, according to sources, and subsequently took a job at Kansas last week.

"When Gus is locked and loaded in, he's as good a game planner, he's as thorough as anybody out there, and he's a great game day play-caller," said Chizik, who won a national title alongside Malzahn in 2010 at Auburn. "For whatever the reasons, he felt like he had to give that up and got away from it. He apparently feels like he's going to get back to it. We'll see how it unfolds."

*** Try us FOR FREE for 7 days and get the latest Auburn recruiting and team scoops ***

*** Get FREE Auburn breaking news in your inbox ***