ATLANTA - By the time Gus Malzahn reached radio row, he'd already conducted 11 interviews, including his opening address Thursday at SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame.
"I really feel like we're going to have a hungry team trying to take that next step," said Malzahn, who led the Tigers to the SEC West Championship last season. "I really like our team. I like our leaders. There's nothing like experience in our league. And we experienced some highs, some lows, and, like I said, we were close. I just really sense urgency and a hunger from that group.
"Winning the West is -- it's a man's league, and if you win the West, you really do something, But there's such a fine line in this conference of winning the conference championship and coming close. And we came close last year. And we've got to figure out a way to take that next step. And that's easier said than done."
Malzahn invited senior defensive leaders Deshaun Davis and Dontavius Russell, along with quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who led the SEC in completion percentage as a sophomore last season, to represent the Auburn.
"He's back for a second year, and he understands our offense," Malzahn said. "He understands Coach Lindsey's expectation. He's like a coach on the field. Toward the end of the year, they were thinking the same, talking the same.
"Going into this year, he's going to have freedom to get us in the right play, to check us out of a bad play. We have a lot of confidence in him, and really looking forward to him leading our offense."
Stidham and the Tigers will begin spring practice on Aug. 3 after a whirlwind summer for the quarterback that included getting engaged and being a counselor at elite high school quarterback camps.
"He's a mature young man," Malzahn said. "We feel very good about his focus coming in. I know he's chomping at the bit for August 3rd to get here and to get out there and lead the offense and lead the team.
"I think the key to our offense is going to be our offensive line and how quick they can come together. We've got three guys that have started and I think a total of 20 games. So we're very inexperienced. But I will stay this: We're talented. It's just going to be a matter of time and hopefully sooner rather than later that that group jells."
On defense, the Tigers return their starting line and linebackers in coordinator Kevin Steele's third season, with the exception of NFL rookie Jeff Holland.
"From a talent standpoint, front seven, I've been at Auburn for nine years, and this is a group that's at least as talented, or more talented than we've had," Malzahn said. That's the strength of our team. But we've got to continue to get better. We got to continue to improve. We hadn't arrived. Our front seven hasn't arrived. They know that."
Malazhn will return to Atlanta on Sept. 1 to start his sixth season as Auburn's head coach in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Washington, the Tigers' third consecutive game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium after ending the 2017 season in the SEC Championship and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
"A lot of our alumni are here in Atlanta," Malzahn said. "Any time you get a chance to play in the same venue your conference championship game is played on, I think that's a very positive thing.
"As far as Washington is concerned, you're talking about a top 10 opponent. It will be a good challenge for us. This is a good measuring stick for where this team is the first game and get a chance to come back here. It's a big thing for the Auburn Tigers to be here in Atlanta playing in it."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: