Feb. 11, 2017
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - A relentless recruiter and proven player developer with head coaching and SEC experience, Larry Porter joins Auburn's staff as tight ends/H-backs coach and recruiting coordinator, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Saturday.
"I want to thank Coach Malzahn for giving me and my family the opportunity to be a part of the Auburn family," Porter said. "He has assembled a great staff and has all of the pieces to pursue a championship. Auburn has a great football tradition and I can't wait to get started. War Eagle!"
Porter comes to Auburn from North Carolina, where he coached running backs and coordinated special teams for the past three seasons.
"Larry is a true professional and will be a great addition to our staff," Malzahn said. "He is an outstanding coach with a very good history of player development and is one of the top recruiters in the country."
Before UNC, Porter coached running backs at Texas and Arizona State. From 2010-11, he was the head coach at Memphis, his alma mater.
Porter earned the head coaching opportunity after excelling on Les Miles' staff at LSU for five seasons from 2005-09.
At LSU, Porter twice earned National Recruiter of the Year honors by Rivals.com, in 2007 and 2009. In 2006, he was promoted to assistant head coach. LSU won the national championship in 2007.
Porter coached 1,000-yard rushers at Arkansas State, Oklahoma State, LSU and North Carolina. In 2015, UNC's Elijah Hood ran for 1,463 yards and 17 touchdowns.
A four-year letterman at Memphis, Porter rushed for 2,194 career yards and served as co-captain as a senior in 1993.
After coaching high school football in Memphis, Porter moved to college football in 1998, coaching running backs at Tennessee Martin. The 2017 season will be Porter's 20th coaching college football.
Auburn running backs coach Tim Horton will now also handle the Tigers' special teams.
"I'm excited to have Tim serve as our special teams coordinator," Malzahn said. "He has assisted with that unit the last four years and will do an outstanding job."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer