New head coach Gus Malzahn didn't waste any time hiring an offensive coordinator, as Rhett Lashlee was officially hired for the position late last night.
"Rhett is one of the best young offensive minds in college football," Malzahn said at a press conference Friday, Dec. 7. "I've been with Rhett a long time and he's been an incredibly valuable right-hand man. He has a great knowledge and understanding of Auburn and will be a tremendous asset for this program both on and off the field."
Lashlee follows Malzahn from Arkansas State, where he was offensive coordinator last year under Malzahn.
Lashlee will be replacing Scott Loeffler, whose tenure lasted just one season under former coach Gene Chizik.
Lashlee also coached quarterbacks at Arkansas State and 10 years ago played quarterback for Malzahn at Shiloh Christian High School in Arkansas. He holds numerous records as a high school quarterback, including a state-record 40 wins, the national record for touchdowns with 171 and most passing yards in a game with 672.
"We're very excited to be back in Auburn to rejoin this program and the Auburn family, which has the best fans in the country" Lashlee said. "I'm looking forward to working with Coach Malzahn and help get this team headed in the right direction and return to winning football. Auburn holds a special place in my family's heart, as this is where our twin boys were born, so we are blessed to be back. I'm excited to get to work."
Lashlee was also a backup quarterback for the University of Arkansas from 2002-2004, and he was an offensive graduate assistant in 2009 and 2010 at Auburn.
In 2011, Lashlee served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Samford, where he installed a high-tempo offense that jumped the ranks from No. 57 in the nation to No. 36.
Malzahn released the remaining coordinators left over from the Gene Chizik era earlier this week, as he told the staff he wanted to start his tenure with a clean slate.
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