Auburn coach Gene Chizik announced the evening of Jan. 22 that Scot Loeffler of Temple University will be Auburn's offensive coordinator in 2012, amid speculation of numerous other candidates over the past month. The announcement follows the Jan. 9 hire of off-the-radar Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
"Scot is a rising star who has worked with some very good quarterbacks, and has achieved a tremendous amount of success," Chizik said. "He is a tireless worker, is an outstanding recruiter and knows the rigors of competing in this conference. We're very excited to have Scot join our staff, and we welcome him to the Auburn family."
Loeffler was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Temple last season. Without much talent at wideout and quarterback, Loeffler was forced to throw the ball just 198 times in 2011, behind only triple option teams Georgia Tech, Navy and Army.
Before Temple, Loeffler was quarterbacks coach on Florida's national championship team in 2009 that featured Tim Tebow, who threw for 2,895 yards and completed 70 percent of his passes. Also on staff was offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, who Loeffler worked under last season at Temple.
"I am very happy for Scot and his family," Addazio said. "This is a great opportunity for him and his career. We are very grateful for his contributions to Temple, and we certainly understand that when our great coaches have opportunities, it's a compliment to our program. We wish Scot nothing but the best. He will always have a special place here at Temple."
With a one-year stint as quarterbacks coach at the Detroit Lions in between, Loeffler's other experience was at the University of Michigan, where he coached quarterbacks from 2002-07. Loeffler played quarterback for the Wolverines from 1993-96 and stayed with the team as a graduate assistant during the 1997 National Championship season.
Loeffler might not have much experience calling the offensive shots--Auburn will only be his second role as an offensive coordinator-- but he has tutored a number of quarterbacks in his career: Tom Brady, Brian Griese, Chad Henne, Drew Henson, John Navarre and Tim Tebow.
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