It wasn’t always that way through.

“It’s just with the old staff, it just seemed closed, as if they weren’t open to that. I don’t know if it was just more so that they wanted their guys, because we were (Tommy) Tuberville guys, but I don’t know how that worked,” Powers said. “But (with) Gus, it’s completely different. I love the direction this program’s headed, and what he’s doing with the kids as far as just putting that discipline back in the program which we needed.”

Other former players felt Gene Chizik’s staff didn’t make enough efforts to draw them back to the program.

“Nobody reached out and actually made us feel a part of what they had going on,” said Marks, who is entering his second year with the Jacksonville Jaguars after being drafted in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. “(Malzahn) wants to do that. He wants to get us involved and just let us know what’s going on around the campus. I think that’s good. That’s good for a lot of the alumni players, and good for the current players also.”

Despite coaching responsibilities that keep him busy nearly year round, Malzahn makes it a priority to establish a friendship with the alumni players, even ones he never had a prior relationship with.