Breaking Down Auburn’s Search for an Offensive Coordinator
By Keith Prater
Here we take a look at potential fits to Auburn’s open offensive coordinator position.
Late last Wednesday night, before the dust could even settle following Rhett Lashlee’s unexpected departure from Auburn, names of potential replacements began to flood message boards and social media.
With National Signing Day quickly approaching on February 1st, this time of year seems inconvenient, for lack of a better word, to orchestrate a search for an offensive coordinator. Recruits develop an unspeakable trust with the coaches throughout the recruitment process, and Lashlee is an excellent recruiter who recently played a huge role in the signing of Baylor transfer quarterback, Jarrett Stidham.
While Lashlee’s recruiting efforts will surely be missed, one area that has haunted Auburn over the past couple of seasons has been quarterback development. Going forward, it will be critical that Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn not only hire a proven play caller, but also hire an offensive coordinator that has had success developing quarterbacks at a high level.
Let’s take a look at a few names circling around the rumor mill, I’ll even throw in a wild card.
Art Briles, former Baylor head coach
I don’t see it happening. Last August, the way Malzahn handled the departure of former Auburn running back Jovon Robinson plays a into my opinion of why Briles has been ruled out. I interpreted that as Malzahn sending a message to the Auburn family that he intends to eliminate distractions within the program. No other candidate currently presents as much of a distraction as Briles would.
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Kendall Briles, Florida Atlantic offensive coordinator
Rumors have circulated that Art Briles’ son, Kendall Briles isn’t being considered for the vacant OC position at Auburn, but Briles’ relationship with former Baylor quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, plays into my opinion that he would be high on the list of candidates. From 2012-2014 he was Baylor’s passing game coordinator before taking over as offensive coordinator in 2015. During this time Baylor amassed 17,616 passing yards and 151 touchdowns. The only knock against him is his lack of experience with play calling.
Mark Helfrich, former Oregon head coach
I’ve heard Helfrich’s name mentioned, but the problem is that he essentially ran Chip Kelly’s offense, and didn’t call plays. Helfrich made some questionable hires during the last offseason which undoubtedly lead to a 4-8 season in Eugene. I don’t believe Helfrich is a fit to what Auburn needs to accomplish.
Chip Lindsey, Arizona State offensive coordinator
Chip Lindsey rose to prominence building high school programs in Alabama and Georgia before being named an offensive analyst on coach Malzahn’s staff in 2013. He spent the next two seasons as Southern Mississippi’s offensive coordinator, leading USM to top 10 rankings in several offensive categories in 2015. His familiarity with Auburn and Malzahn’s system makes him a legitimate candidate.
Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma offensive coordinator
Auburn fans should be familiar with Lincoln Riley as his offense torched Auburn in this year’s Sugar Bowl. The former Broyle’s award winner led a dynamic Oklahoma offense that finished second in total offense in 2016. Riley has had tremendous success calling plays, played a key role in Baker Mayfield‘s development, and spear-headed a backfield led by Samaje Perine, Oklahoma’s all-time leading rusher. His offense is uptempo with a lot of moving parts and misdirection. Malzahn has mentioned he still wants his offense to lean heavily on the run, and Riley’s system would be a great fit for the roster Auburn is bringing back in 2017.
Wildcard pick: Tee Martin, Southern Cal offensive coordinator
Tee Martin played high school football in Mobile, AL where he was born and raised. After backing up Peyton Manning during his first two seasons at Tennessee, he led the Volunteers to the first ever BCS National Championship in 1998. Martin assumed a large load of the play calling duties this past season at USC which was one of the more dynamic offenses in the nation heading in to the bowl season. While he’s held the position of passing game coordinator, he’s never been a quarterbacks coach. That’s not to say he can’t coach quarterbacks, as his offensive coordinator during his time at Tennessee was David Cutcliff, one of the more prominent quarterback coaches in college football history. Martin is also an excellent recruiter who would have an immediate impact in keeping together several key commitments for the upcoming 2017 signing class.
Next: A Valuable Lesson from Kentucky
Auburn is likely to name an offensive coordinator by the end of the week. Whoever takes the job will inherit one of the best receiving corps to come through Auburn in the past 10 years, a true dual threat quarterback, and solid depth on the offensive line.