Former Arkansas head coach Chad Morris did not take long to land back on his feet in the SEC, as Auburn hired him on as the offensive coordinator.

Morris and Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn have known each other for years, and Malzahn commented on bringing in his old friend to help with the offense on Sunday.

“We’re very excited to have Chad. You know he’s one of the, in my opinion, one of the best offensive guys out there, and you know just really good,” said Malzahn. “What our plan is for the bowl is I’m going to still call the plays and really he’s just kind of getting acclimated, getting used to our players and how we operate and all that, but he is just getting to know the players, probably the biggest thing, but we’re really excited about the future with Chad.

“Also I want to say, you know, just a special thanks to Kenny Dillingham. He did a great job for us and really assisted me well, he’s a very smart up and coming coach, and he’s going to be very successful in the future and really appreciate everything he did for us this past season.”

Although a 4-18 record in less than two seasons at Arkansas will not look good on Morris’ resume, he is an accomplished offensive coordinator. During his run at Clemson from 2011 to 2014, Morris helped the Tigers to a 42-11 overall record with his up-tempo, spread offense.

As Kenny Dillingham moves on to join his former boss Mike Norvell at Florida State, Morris should be a good fit on the Auburn staff based on his prior relationship with his new boss.

Malzahn did assume playcalling duties for the 2019 season and will continue to do so in the Outback Bowl when Auburn takes on Minnesota with Morris in the press box. It is not clear, however, what the plan will be for the 2020 season, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out with two well-versed offensive minds in the building.