Gus Malzahn’s staff got a lot stronger on Tuesday.
The Auburn head coach announced that he has hired Chad Morris as offensive coordinator, according to a release from the team.
Morris, a native of Dallas, Texas, most recently served as head coach at Arkansas and SMU. Previous to those tenures, he coordinated record-breaking offenses at Clemson from 2011-2014.
Morris was not on the market long after leaving the Arkansas program. Teaming up with Malzahn on the Plains seemed a natural fit for both coaches.
Malzahn agrees.
“I’m super excited to have Chad Morris join our staff at Auburn,” he explained. “He’s a tremendous offensive mind who has had success with several top-ranked offenses during his time in the college ranks. I’ve known Chad for almost 20 years and he is a tireless worker and a perfectionist. He is a great addition to our program and I look forward to him helping Auburn win championships!”
Morris formed his offensive philosophy largely based on his studying of Malzahn’s approach. As a high-profile high school coach in Texas, Morris traveled to Arkansas to visit Malzahn. What resulted was Morris crafting an offensive system from the principles he learned during those visits with Malzahn.
Morris cites that connection as instrumental to his arrival in Auburn.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to join Coach Malzahn’s staff at Auburn,” he said. “ I’ve known Gus since the early 2000s and consider him a dear friend and someone that helped me get into the profession at the college level. I’ve admired the success he’s had at each of his stops and look forward to adding to the success that he, his staff and the players have built. We are excited about joining the Auburn family.”
Morris is noted for his development of quarterbacks which should be a welcome contribution to the staff with true freshman Bo Nix looking to elevate his game going into next season.
There is at least one other familiar face in the football complex for Morris. He and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele coached together at Clemson in 2011. Steele was defensive coordinator at Clemson that year.
In addition to his oversight of the Tigers’ offense, Malzahn will likely count on Morris to enhance Auburn’s recruiting efforts in the prospect-rich state of Texas.
A graduate of Texas A&M, Morris spent 16 years as a head coach in Texas high school football, posting a 169-38 overall record, while capturing three state titles.
Malzahn’s 12th-ranked Tigers face off against Big Ten opponent Minnesota in the Outback Bowl in Tampa on January 1. Kickoff is noon CT.
Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer News
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