Larry Porter was hired as Auburn’s tight end and H-back coach this offseason. This is a new territory for Porter as he has mainly coached running backs throughout his career. Porter also is going to serve as Auburn’s recruiting coordinator.
"Here’s the deal, as a coach, you should always pursue or seek to learn every position," Porter said. "I want to learn the details of every position and the fundamentals of every position. I coached running backs for a while, but I’ve also had to coach what was going on up front. I teach my players what goes on up front on the line so they understand every aspect of the game. I feel like this makes them better and grows them as players. So although I have never coached tight ends, I’ve always known what was going on up there. It’s new, but its been good for me.”
Porter brings a wealth of experience to Auburn. He won a national championship on LSU’s 2008 staff, and that is one reason he came to Auburn.
“I want an opportunity to win another national championship," Porter said. "I couldn’t get enough beyond that. I wanted another opportunity. I feel like here at Auburn, all the pieces are in place to do that."
Porter along with new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey plan to incorporate the tight ends into Auburn’s offense more so than in the past. Last year at Arizona State, three of Lindsey’s tight ends caught a touchdown pass.
Tight end Jalen Harris and H-back Chandler Cox return for Auburn next season as upperclassmen. Newcomer Sal Cannella was an early enrollee, junior college transfer. The past two seasons Auburn has not utilized tight ends or H-backs much in the passing game. Harris caught only one pass last season, and it was a touchdown against Ole Miss.
“Playing tight end starts with your mindset, attitude, and purpose," Porter said. "They understand how to approach each day to grow and get better. They have a winning attitude. Jalen Harris is a really good player. He is physical and has the right mindset. Sal is a guy that we are growing into that position. His skill set will give us an opportunity to do a lot of different thing."
Cannella is 6-foot-6 and the coaching staff hopes to utilize him as a red zone threat. He caught 29 passes for 443 yards and seven touchdowns last season in junior college.
“The thing that stands out to me about Sal is he has good hands," head coach Gus Malzahn said. "We knew that. Obviously he played wide receiver in high school, so he’s got a wide-receiver ability with his hands.”
Auburn is going to build its offense around their playmakers this fall. Harris, Cannella and Cox and can bring mismatches to the field and especially in the red-zone. The versatility of this group is going to benefit Auburn greatly.
As for Porter, this was an opportunity for him to get out of his comfort zone. He knows that this is the next step to evolve and better himself as a coach.
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