Just when we thought that there was no movement on the Auburn OC job, the news coming out of the Plains is that Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey is leaving the Tigers for greener pastures so to speak, as he'll head to Kansas to work on former LSU head coach Les Miles' staff.
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For most fans of the Auburn Tigers, this shouldn't come as a surprise, as the Auburn offense finished near the bottom of the SEC. The change needed to be made, but with no plan in place, what's the next move for head coach Gus Malzahn?
Hearing that Chip Lindsey is in discussions to become the new Offensive Coordinator at #Kansas. Would be a big get for Les Miles. Lindsey developer Nick Mullens for Southern Miss & put up huge numbers there.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 3, 2018
RELATED: Is Jarrett Stidham Ready to Make the Jump to the NFL?
Auburn's offense was one of the worst in Malzahn's career, finishing 68th in all of college football running the football, 86th in passing and 71st in scoring offense putting up 28.3 points per game.
There have been always been rumors that the Auburn offense was not really the Chip Lindsey offense, but actually the Gus Malzahn offense, which may have caused some friction between the two.
When Malzahn hired Lindsey prior to the start of last season, it was thought that he would do all the play calling, and the head a coach would step back. Many Auburn fans have been screaming at the top of their lungs for changes at OC, but even with Lindsey leaving, will Malzahn give power over to another offensive coordinator?
Gus Malzahn's ego can't seem to fully let go of his offense, which may explain why he is losing another offensive coordinator. It is time for Malzahn to make up his mind as to how he plans to run his offense. If he is planning to take over the reins again as OC, then Auburn needs to save their money and not bring in another coordinator into Alabama.
Auburn has had two offensive coordinators since Gus Malzahn became head coach in 2013.
Rhett Lashlee left after the 2016 season for 3-9 UConn.
Chip Lindsey left after the 2018 season for 3-9 Kansas.
— Josh Vitale (@JoshVitale) December 4, 2018
I think the only way Auburn gets a decent offensive analyst to resurrect this offense is if Malzahn can promise that he will not interfere with the play calling next season, but that may be hard for such a control freak like Malzahn. With quarterback Jarrett Stidham announcing he's making the jump to the NFL, this offense has a lot of questions heading into the 2019 season.
At the very least, Malzahn better make up his mind on the Plains quickly before Auburn makes it up for him.
