5 things to know about Chad Morris

[aubiefifty 18,230]

5 things to know about Chad Morris, Auburn’s new OC

Posted Dec 10, 2019

5-6 minutes

After Auburn offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham left for Florida State, coach Gus Malzahn turned to Chad Morris to fill the role.

Morris, who was fired from Arkansas on November 10 after less than two seasons at its helm, is a good friend of Malzahn’s. Both were previously credited for their offensive genius. This season, Malzahn recently took over play-calling duties, and he recruited Morris to help him now that Dillingham is gone.

Auburn’s offense struggled in big games this season but recently seemed to find its rhythm. Morris will be working with a young quarterback, as well as a young group of receivers, as he tries to keep the momentum going.

Here are five things to know about the coach who will be helping lead Auburn’s offense:

1. A wide network:

Once a great high school coach in Texas, Morris has strong ties to the recruits in that state. He coached there for 16 years and went 169-38. When he became the head coach at SMU, his first two years of recruits were all from Texas. He brought that talent for recruiting to Arkansas, where he and his staff had one of the best signing classes in school history in their first full season. The 25-man class was ranked 23rd nationally by 247Sports. It featured 11 four-star recruits, the most ever in Arkansas history. Among those 11 were four receivers. Arkansas was the only school in the country to sign that many four-star receivers. He signed a higher-rated class than Miami, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, UCLA and Iowa to name a few teams.

2. Winning is about points:

After Auburn’s win over Alabama, Malzahn said the difference between the win and the previous losses was the number of points on the board. The ability to score is a proven factor in a team’s ability to win. Morris brings the ability to create points — he has been a part of many high scoring offenses. He was the head coach or the offensive coordinator of three different teams that were in the top 10 in scoring average in the FBS. Those teams averaged more than 40 points a game. At Clemson, the hurry up, spread offense he instituted posted the top three scoring seasons in history. It also established 127 offensive school records, including 89 individual and 38 team records. The Tigers were one of just two schools to have a 3,000 yard passer, 1,000 yard rusher and 1,000 yard receiver every year from 2011-2013. When he moved to SMU, the Mustangs were one of two teams in 2017 to have a 3,000 yard passer, 1,000 yard rusher and multiple 1,000 yard receivers.

3. Onto the NFL:

Morris has recruited and coached a number of players that went on to find success at the national level. After his first season at Arkansas, Dre Greenlaw was picked in the fifth round by the San Francisco 49ers, and Armon Watts was picked in the sixth round by the Minnesota Vikings. Morris’ final season at SMU produced two NFL receivers, Courtland Suttland and Trey Quinn. The Denver Broncos picked Suttland in the second round and the Washington Redskins chose Quinn as the last pick of the draft. Both played in their rookie seasons. Over four years at Clemson, Morris saw seven offensive players join NFL teams. Four were wide receivers, two of whom were first round pics. Clemson was tied for the highest number of offensive players drafted from one school over that time period.

4. A coach, not a player:

While Morris was a quarterback in high school, he did not continue to play at the collegiate level. Instead, he attended Texas A&M to study mathematics with a minor in statistics. Morris is one of four Division I coaches who did not play college football. However, his son looks to be taking a different path. Chandler Morris is an ESPN 300 quarterback, ranked a four-star by 247Sports. He is listed as the No. 10 dual-threat quarterback in the country. Auburn was one of the first schools to offer for him, but he chose to go to Arkansas. When the Razorbacks fired his dad, Chandler decommitted. He will be a part of the class of 2020 wherever he decides to go.

5. A strong friendship:

Before Auburn took down Arkansas in a 51-10 rout, Malzahn said he roots for Morris in every game but that one. They didn’t talk much leading up to the game, but normally, they talk a lot, Malzahn said. He said he has a lot of respect for Morris, another former high school coach who rose to coach in the SEC. The two both spent time coaching at Tulsa, although at different times, and of course Malzahn also has strong ties to Arkansas. When Morris’s offensive success earned him a six-year, $1.3 million a year contract with Clemson, Morris and Malzahn tied each other as the highest paid assistant coaches in the country. Now, Malzahn is a head coach while Morris is once again an assistant after being fired from Arkansas. Malzahn was visibly upset and sympathetic towards his friend when asked about it before the UGA game. He said he hated it for Morris but trusted him to bounce back. Malzahn ended up aiding him with his bounce-back.

[Sully to Beasley 643]

Great article aubiefifty! I learned some things about Coach Morris that I did not previously know. I think our offense is in great hands. I cannot wait to see Coach Morris on the fertile recruiting trail selling Auburn to talented pl;ayers!

[Beaker 2,457]

Thanks so much.   A FB coach  who really understands the importance of statistics (not just stats) could be lethal.   I kinda poo-pooed on some of his gaudy numbers and attributed that to weak conferences relative to the SEC, but if you think about 'how' put schemes together using statistical analysis, maybe I was quick to judge him.

 

This Gus and Morris thing could be incredible, if Gus let's him attack some of the problems like:

what to do after the script?

how to develop a passing game?

how to make in game adjustments?

I have tendencies, how to exploit UGA, LSU and Bama?

You get the idea....

I think the RB by committee was addressed this year, but could be refined.