Auburn Hiring Former Arkansas and SMU Coach as Offensive Coordinator
The Auburn Tigers had a largely successful 2019 season, but there's room for improvement, even after 9+ wins and an Iron Bowl victory over Alabama.
News broke on Tuesday that the Tigers will hire former Arkansas coach Chad Morris as their offensive coordinator for 2020, replacing Kenny Dillingham, who left for Florida State.
#Auburn is hiring former Arkansas and SMU coach Chad Morris as offensive coordinator.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 10, 2019
Morris had two miserable seasons with the Razorbacks as they went 4-18 overall and failed to win a single game in the SEC. However, Morris had success with the SMU Mustangs, leading them to a 7-5 record in 2017 before departing.
So...Morris coached at SMU from 2015-2017
— AIRWOLF! (@redmond_BDTW) November 10, 2019
SMU yards/play (rank)
2014: 3.8 (#127) pre-Morris
2015: 4.9 (#98)
2016: 5.3 (#85)
2017: 6.2 (#19)
Auburn is an overall great football team, but if they have a weakness it's on the offensive side of the ball. In their two loses this season, they only averaged 13.5 points per game. Adding Morris as the new coordinator should be a nice change of pace.
The big value with the Chad Morris hire is a confident voice in the building that Malzahn will trust. If Chad can truly have influence then it’s a huge get. Similar scheme & mindset. Lot of potential value in the facility. #Auburn
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) December 10, 2019
Some coaches are best when not given too much responsibility. Morris being in charge of all aspects of an SEC school in Arkansas may have been too much for him, so being relegated to a smaller position can showcase his skills best.