In a profession in which it must be hard to make friends, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and South Carolina head man Steve Spurrier have found common ground.

The pair — along with Ole Miss’ Hugh Freeze — play golf annually during the SEC’s Spring Meetings in Destin, Fla. Malzahn’s admiration of the Head Ball Coach began more than decade ago when Spurrier was revolutionizing college football at Florida. Malzahn was a head coach at Shiloh Christian in Springdale, Ark., and was transforming high school football by being as much of an offensive innovator as Spurrier is.

“He just had a different way of doing things and communicating and things like that,” Malzahn told reporters earlier this week. “Any time somebody’s successful, you look up to someone, you try to take things that could help you.”

In addition to offensive creativity, Malzahn has drawn inspiration from Spurrier’s game day style. Malzahn said earlier this week that he “used to just wear a regular hat” before switching to a visor.

Spurrier has taken to both Malzahn and Freeze, something of a surprise from one of the iconic coaches in the sport with 25 years experience.

“I don’t mind saying they’re two of my favorite coaches,” Spurrier said in a 2013 interview. “They both wear visors and they both call the plays.”

Spurrier’s respect for Malzahn, however, comes from the track record of success Malzahn’s scheme has garnered.

“He’s proven himself one of the very best coaches in the country,” Spurrier said according to AL.com. “Auburn’s in pretty good shape with him there.”

“Auburn and Oregon run that zone-read as well as anybody in the country,” Spurrier added. “Gus has his own style, and he’s got the track record obviously.”

Spurrier has faced Malzahn when he was a coordinator, but Saturday will be the first time the two have squared off as head coaches.

The two have bonded over being head coaches who call plays, and have had great success. Both coaches have won national championships, with Malzahn doing it as a coordinator, but have also been on the brink of titles with other teams.

“We just have a lot in common,” Spurrier said. “We’re the head coaches that call the plays, and we all play golf in the offseason. Any time a head coach is the play-caller and the offensive coach, we have a unique admiration for others that do it.”

From being a high school coach looking up to one of the SEC’s best to being a peer and arguably the league’s rising star, Malzahn has been welcomed into the club by the elder statesman.

“He’s got that air about him,” Malzahn said. “When you look up to somebody, you have that respect. It’s really more of a respect deal. Then you get to know somebody off the field. He’s a great person and a guy that from time to time I’ll bounce things off him.”