Rhett leaves AU / New OC discussion (Merged)

[Never2Yield 1,005]

2 minutes ago, WarEagle1983 said:

Cole CubelicVerified account‏@colecubelic

Spoke to @rhettlashlee tonight. Told me while he loves Auburn he wanted the opportunity to run his own offense & further develop as a coach.

So Gus (and/or someone else) was meddling.

[Charhair 345]

Just now, Never2Yield said:

So Gus (and/or someone else) was meddling.

Maybe they were the ones who caused the mid season offensive surged yet credited lashlee just to help him move on. Many speculated lashlee being gone was sure fire by the end of the year. 

Amyone think Spavital gets a call? I doubt he'd decide until he knows head coach at ucla isn't an option but if he's determined to move on if he doesn't get the HC job he may not have many places to go at that time

[lionheartkc 6,150]

4 minutes ago, Never2Yield said:

So Gus (and/or someone else) was meddling.

Isn't that kind of like saying Steve Spurrier was meddling at Florida? I believe Rhett was alluding to exactly what a lot if us have been saying which us Gus and Rhett needed to separate because they were basically one person, neither giving benefit to or getting benefit from the other.

[GwillMac6 20,670]

8 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

Isn't that kind of like saying Steve Spurrier was meddling at Florida? I believe Rhett was alluding to exactly what a lot if us have been saying which us Gus and Rhett needed to separate because they were basically one person, neither giving benefit to or getting benefit from the other.

with GREATLY different results. When Spurrier meddles you hush up and listen and say yes sir because hes a legend. When gus does it? you roll your eyes.

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

Idea: would Gus be considering taking over play calling duties. I know there are some programs that do that.

Derek Mason at Vandy does this and while his team is certainly not a band of world beaters, they were pretty dang good on defense. Not necessarily my opinion of what we should do, Just a thought. Maybe getting Lashlee out was what Gus needed to stop trying to let Rhett develop, and start running the whole show himself. 

[milehighfan 1,240]

1 hour ago, AEAugirl said:

No, Kiffin hired Kendall.  Locksley is rumored to be heading to UF.  

 

You were right. It took me awhile but I finally found Locksley was in fact going to UF. But I promise I saw the story on al.com bama football page. The headline read another current staffer would be joining Kiffin. Then I read Locksley would be joining Kiffin at FAU as OC. I knew Briles had been hired as OC,.that's why I was so confused. Thanks for correcting me.

[Randman5000 4,226]

12 minutes ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

Idea: would Gus be considering taking over play calling duties. I know there are some programs that do that.

Derek Mason at Vandy does this and while his team is certainly not a band of world beaters, they were pretty dang good on defense. Not necessarily my opinion of what we should do, Just a thought. Maybe getting Lashlee out was what Gus needed to stop trying to let Rhett develop, and start running the whole show himself. 

But didn't he say he needed to be more hands on because he's a "football coach" only to contradict himself after we started losing to say he needs to be hands off and focus on game planning and bigger picture stuff.  Rhett was supposedly calling plays from there on out. Yet the word is Gus meddled in the offense and we went down hill, coincidently around the time that Sean White and Pettway got hurt and went 1-3 to close it out.

Rhett did need to move on, for everyone's sake. We need changes, hopefully not Hand or someone within. Best of luck at Uconn, we will see you when JJ hires you in a couple of years

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

5 minutes ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

Idea: would Gus be considering taking over play calling duties. I know there are some programs that do that.

Derek Mason at Vandy does this and while his team is certainly not a band of world beaters, they were pretty dang good on defense. Not necessarily my opinion of what we should do, Just a thought. Maybe getting Lashlee out was what Gus needed to stop trying to let Rhett develop, and start running the whole show himself. 

But Rhett was never in the way of Gus doing just this. And this season it was confirmed by anyone who questioned who was primarily running the show on offense when Gus decided to fully turn the offense over to Rhett.  Gus needs to hire an OC he can trust and believe in to keep the main philosophy of his offense but add in some different aspects to make us better. Thus why we're seeing fans continually bring up Art. I'm just not sure Auburn is willing to deal with that PR issue unless we've already done some serious investigating into the situation ourselves to insure nothing comes out that could bite us in the butt if we hire Art as our OC. 

[milehighfan 1,240]

I don't know much about him but what little I read but I wouldn't mind seeing Jeff Scott get the job. He has spent time with the AU staff through the years, whatever that means. He was CO-OC at Clemson and since DeWatson and several of their big bullets will be gone, he might be interested in coming, especially if he handled play calling duties. He just seemed like a good candidate. I don't really want  Kodi. I don't want us to hire another coach who will learning on the job.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

1 hour ago, AUTigers910 said:

This took too long to happen and isn't going to be a big enough splash to pull off the late timing

Unless they intentionally waited until they had their mans and had all the stuff behind the scenes taken care of to get rid of him.

 

Glass half full 

[ellitor 33,089]

3 hours ago, aubietiger14 said:

Then who or what was the problem?

3 hours ago, passthebiscuits said:

1) a poor excuse for an AD.

2) a stubborn head coach that is too smart for common sense sometimes.

3) three serviceable but not top tier qbs with the best of the three hurt. 

Just my two cents

 

Yep!

[milehighfan 1,240]

I've read about eight or nine possible candidates and personally I would like to see Jeff Scott from Clemson get the job. But how many think it will be Hand? My thinking, if it's Hand then you have to hire a QB coach. Any thoughts? 

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,296]

My summation of information from various sites and insiders:

 

Realistic chances (in order of likelihood):

1) Hand- no brainer. If this happens, look for Malzahn to seek a Co-OC/QB coach in the same motion. (Lindsey?)

2a) Lindsey- does like ASU but would welcome chance to come home, I.E. Southeast. Also has familiarity with Kodi Burns. The QB guru we have been needing, I think we get him he either way, just not sure what capacity. Likely Gus won't give offense coordinator role to someone this foreign to his system (albeit he has experience in Gus's O)

2b) Coach Drink- not sure he'd leave NCState laterally for Auburn. Not really in Gus's immediate tree, doesn't make much sense but his name is really hot on most lists. Toss up between him and Lindsey

 

Longshots: 

1) either Briles- Kendall is lucky to have a job and Art is untouchable, but Gus has proven he doesn't care about any choice but his own. Either would prove to be a good football hire but obviously tone deaf.

2) Spavital - likely back up head coach choice behind Chip Kelly at Cal

 

No chance:

1) Craig- that bridge was nuked

2) Helfrich- not a good fit

 

 

[AUApostle 7,651]

We should be hiring new coordinators about every four years regardless. Tendencies get discovered, schemes get stale and predictable.  New blood is valuable in the SEC, especially at AU where coaches always get complacent.

[Builder 86]

5 hours ago, milehighfan said:

I don't know much about him but what little I read but I wouldn't mind seeing Jeff Scott get the job. He has spent time with the AU staff through the years, whatever that means. He was CO-OC at Clemson and since DeWatson and several of their big bullets will be gone, he might be interested in coming, especially if he handled play calling duties. He just seemed like a good candidate. I don't really want  Kodi. I don't want us to hire another coach who will learning on the job.

Jeff Scott is Co-OC but I think its the other guy calling the plays. Dont remember his name off hand and he would never leave Dabo. Jeff Scott is a good guy but just a fixture from early days of USC and Clemson.

[NoALtiger 3,850]

9 hours ago, WDE_OxPx_2010 said:

Chip would be OK with me 

Read

 

Me too, more so because I've known him since high school though. It would still be weird for me personally that Chip would be OC at AU. Mind blowing actually. Really cool though and for a lot of us Huntsville/Madison types. 

[ellitor 33,089]

1 hour ago, WDE_OxPx_2010 said:

My summation of information from various sites and insiders:

Realistic chances (in order of likelihood):

1) Hand- no brainer.

I guess it could happen but I have not seen any site or insider give Hand serious consideration or have him on lists in the hours since Rhett left..

[abw0004 10,110]

Here is what I have gathered so far.  Art Briles was also mentioned, but there is almost 0% chance he will ever come near Auburn.

Kodi Burns, Auburn wide receivers coach

To move Burns to offensive coordinator would be a very big step in his career and likely a contingency plan if other candidates fell through. Promoting him would still leave a vacancy on the staff.

Eliah Drinkwitz, North Carolina State offensive coordinator

Drinkwitz served as Malzahn's running backs coach at Arkansas State in 2012 and stayed under Bryan Harsin in 2013, then followed him to Boise State in 2014 and served as offensive coordinator in 2015. He was the offensive coordinator at N.C State this past season.

Herb Hand, Auburn offensive line coach

Hand and Malzahn and good friends and he's been an offensive coordinator both with Malzahn and after his departure from Tulsa. His knowledge of the offense might be second to none of any other candidate. Promoting Hand would still leave a vacancy on the staff though.

Mark Helfrich, former Oregon head coach

The Ducks have consistently been a strong offensive team and Helfrich's offensive prowess is not in question, it was defense that was his downfall in Eugene.

Chip Lindsey, Arizona State offensive coordinator

Lindsey served as an analyst at Auburn, been a head coach at multiple Alabama schools and has been a candidate for several head coaching jobs. His knowledge of Malzahn's system is extensive. Like Lashlee, Lindsey interviewed for the head coaching position at Georgia State.

Jeff Scott, Clemson co-offensive coordinator

Scott has spent time with Auburn's staff over the years. With Clemson's offense losing its major pieces off a national championship season, it would not be out of the question for members of the coaching staff to be candidates elsewhere. It would likely take a lot to get Scott, who has only coached wide receivers, to leave his alma mater.

Jake Spavital, Cal offensive coordinator

Spavital worked with Malzahn and Hand at Tulsa in 2008. He's coached in the SEC while at Texas A&M and if Cal doesn't hire him as head coach after firing Sonny Dykes, Spavital will be looking for a job.

[kd4au 1,145]

I guess we will find out now if the problem was Gus or Rhett.It would not shock me for Gus to promote Hand to OC,hope that if he does, he hires a QB coach that can develop our QB's.

[ellitor 33,089]

20 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Kodi Burns, Auburn wide receivers coach

To move Burns to offensive coordinator would be a very big step in his career and likely a contingency plan if other candidates fell through. Promoting him would still leave a vacancy on the staff.

Where in the name of Bo Jackson do people come up with this stuff? I feel like I just had brain cells die from reading this. Sorry to be so blunt but damn! Kodi has 0% shot at being the next OC. If hell freezes over and it happens I will own up to being wrong...but it ain't happening.

[ellitor 33,089]

12 minutes ago, kd4au said:

he hires a QB coach that can develop our QB's.

Gus getting out of the way to let a QBC do their job could still be an issue as it was with Gus micromanging QB coaching often times with Rhett.

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

Odd move by Rhett IMO.

Being annoyed at Gus Malzahn for "meddling" in Rhett Lashlee's offense is like getting bent out of shape about Steve Spurrier "meddling" in Shawn Eliott's duties.   

[weagl1 1,782]

I believe the Briles fix is in.  When we got Stidham something was already in the works.  I think KB bails on Lame Kitten and comes in as OC and Art will become an analyst until his name is cleaned up.  Gus knows he has to open up the passing attack to have a chance against Bammer.  You saw the blueprint Monday night.

[AUApostle 7,651]

2 minutes ago, aucanucktiger said:

Odd move by Rhett IMO.

Being annoyed at Gus Malzahn for "meddling" in Rhett Lashlee's offense is like getting bent out of shape about Steve Spurrier "meddling" in Shawn Eliott's duties.   

Do we know that Gus' meddling cost us Rhett?  I don;t see it that way at all.  I see 2 people joined at the hip that both need new perspective.  Honestly, this is the best AU news I've heard since we wrapped up Stidham.

 

Just to add to this...when you grow up under somebody, your voice rarely gets the full respect it's capable of...you often have to move on to fully grow.

[ellitor 33,089]

1 minute ago, aucanucktiger said:

Odd move by Rhett IMO.

Being annoyed at Gus Malzahn for "meddling" in Rhett Lashlee's offense is like getting bent out of shape about Steve Spurrier "meddling" in Shawn Eliott's duties.   

I didn't say nor imply Rhett was annoyed. Just saying Gus has gone through periods of not letting his offensive assistants actually doing there job and it has cost him on the field.