Gus Malzahn is believed to be safe at Auburn, with the school’s athletic director saying the head coach will be back in 2019. Malzahn himself also said similar things toward the end of the regular season.

“He’ll be the coach next year and I’m confident — he’s already proven we can get through adversity,” the athletic director said this month. “Every team has it and I’m looking forward to working with him for a long time.”

A new report out of Alabama, though, makes it seem like that actually is not the case.

Josh Moon of the Montgomery (Ala.) Reporter is reporting that a group of high-powered Auburn boosters are working on a plan to get Malzahn out, as they’ve identified a top head coach to potentially replace him.

“Turns out, Gus Malzahn’s job at Auburn isn’t nearly as safe as once thought. There is a serious movement among high-powered officials at AU to fire him. To the point that a replacement has been identified and initial meetings held to gauge interest. Happy, Monday,” he reports.

“The candidate in question was at the top of the list. He was surprisingly receptive to AU’s inquiries and made it clear he would be interested in coming to AU for the right, Jimbo Fisher-type offer.”

Turns out, Gus Malzahn's job at Auburn isn't nearly as safe as once thought. There is a serious movement among high-powered officials at AU to fire him. To the point that a replacement has been identified and initial meetings held to gauge interest. Happy, Monday. — Josh Moon (@Josh_Moon) November 26, 2018

To add more details re: AU/Malzahn: What I have been told comes from sources who have participated in these conversations. The buyout can be covered. But to front that sort of money, those involved want a "top-level" coach locked in place. /1 — Josh Moon (@Josh_Moon) November 26, 2018

Those conversations with such a candidate began at least two weeks ago. The candidate in question was at the top of the list. He was surprisingly receptive to AU's inquiries and made it clear he would be interested in coming to AU for the right, Jimbo Fisher-type offer. /2 — Josh Moon (@Josh_Moon) November 26, 2018

At that point, work began in earnest behind the scenes to build support for the change and get university officials on board. Or to at least make them shut up. So, now we wait to see if a deal gets ironed out. But the right people are involved and motivated. /F — Josh Moon (@Josh_Moon) November 26, 2018

Of course, it’s important to take these reports with a grain of salt, as head coaching rumors swirl at the end of every season.

However, Football Scoop added this to their report:

For what it is worth, FootballScoop was told that people representing Auburn met with Bob Stoops a few weeks back….

Stay tuned…