the gus and chip relationship

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Gus Malzahn and Chip Lindsey's Auburn relationship has Georgia roots

Updated on May 28, 2017 at 7:03 AM Posted on May 28, 2017 at 7:00 AM

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Gus Malzahn and Chip Lindsey's relationship first blossomed over the course of five weeks more than eight years ago.

Long before Lindsey rose through the coaching ranks to be Auburn's offensive coordinator, and Malzahn's right-hand man, he was an innovative high school coach at Lassiter High in Marietta, Ga. It was there, in January 2009, that he and Malzahn first became acquainted with one another.

At the time, Lindsey was the head coach of four-star tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen, who had been committed to Auburn since the previous summer when Tommy Tuberville was still the Tigers' head coach. Tuberville resigned at the end of that season, and Auburn hired Gene Chizik to replace him while Malzahn joined as Chizik's offensive coordinator.

"Philip was the first player I actually recruited when I was the coordinator at Auburn," Malzahn said.

Malzahn made Lutzenkirchen a priority upon taking the job, and rightfully so. Lutzenkirchen, who went on to become the greatest tight end in Auburn history, was one of the first players to commit to Auburn's 2009 class and the first four-star recruit to pledge to the Tigers that cycle.

"(Malzahn) had just gotten there from Tulsa, and Philip had been committed to Auburn but was wavering a little bit with the coaching change, and Gus came in and in that time period in the January period, you go see your committed guys every week," Lindsey told AL.com earlier this month. "You get that one visit. He came every week, and as the coordinator, I thought that was a big thing. He was trying to make a statement that he didn't want to lose Philip."

 

History lesson: How Lindsey's teaching background powered his rise through coaching ranks

Before Chip Lindsey was a fast-rising offensive coordinator in the college ranks, he was a high school history teacher with a keen attention to detail. That played a role in getting Lindsey to where he is today as Auburn's offensive coordinator.

 

And Lindsey meant every single week. Just days after taking the job at Auburn, Malzahn made a trip to Lassiter -- approximately two hours from Auburn's campus -- to check in on Lutzenkirchen and make sure that commitment stuck. It was during that time that Malzahn and Lindsey first built their bond -- though it was nowhere near what it is now.

It started with discussions about football, and Lutzenkirchen, over cups of coffee. There were trips to a nearby Mexican restaurant "every time" Malzahn was in town. The Tigers' then-offensive coordinator has a well-known affinity for Mexican cuisine.

"We did that for five straight weeks or whatever, and just kind of created a friendship," Lindsey said. "I was always intrigued; his offense had been different than what I had done for years. You're always trying to grow as a coach, so I'd always been intrigued."

Lindsey always tried to pick Malzahn's brain for offensive ideas. Malzahn's Hurry Up, No Huddle offense -- with its run-heavy scheme -- contrasted to what Lindsey was doing at Lassiter, where his Air Raid-influenced offense set Georgia state passing records the following season in 2009.

Malzahn, who plays things close to the vest and has admitted he's "probably more guarded than most," was hesitant to divulge too much information about his offensive philosophy to Lindsey at the time. That didn't deter their budding friendship, however.

"Now, he didn't tell me a whole lot when I first met him," Lindsey said. "He was very secretive. But just watching him and things, we had a good time. We ended up having a lot in common."

RELATED: How Lindsey's college offenses compared statistically to Auburn

That five-week span in early 2009 set in motion the events that brought Lindsey to Auburn the first time as an offensive analyst four years later in 2013. After wading into the college ranks as Troy's quarterbacks coach in 2010, Lindsey returned to Alabama as the head coach at Spain Park in 2011 and 2012 before Malzahn -- who just returned to Auburn as head coach -- approached him about an analyst position.

Lindsey accepted, and it was at that point that Malzahn truly began to open up. Their relationship evolved from friends to coaching confidantes. Lindsey spent an abundance of time with Malzahn that season, when Auburn put together a remarkable turnaround, won the SEC title and came within 13 seconds of a national championship. When Malzahn gameplanned each week, Lindsey was closely involved in that process.

"The way he used to gameplan was a lot of times by himself, and he always had a guy with him, and I ended up being that guy the year I was there," Lindsey said. "I think we grew and our relationship grew. Like I said, it's been good and I owe him a lot."

Four years later, they're reunited again, this time with Malzahn ceding full control of Auburn's offense over to his new right-hand man.

"He's been a huge part of where I am today, and I owe him a lot for that," Lindsey said. "I'm excited to be back with him now, and I'm looking forward to the season."

 

Malzahn adjusting to life after play-calling

After spending most of his career calling offensive plays, Auburn's Gus Malzahn ceded full control of the Tigers' offense to new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey this year.