AUBURN, Ala. – In 2003, Chad Morris was coaching high school football in Texas. He had just taken over at Stephenville High School and in his first year, the Yellow Jackets missed the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. So that offseason, he went to watch and learn from one of the best high school football coaches in the country at the time, Gus Malzahn.
"He was on the cutting edge," Morris said. "He still is. That really intrigued me. I'm an out-of-the-box thinker. I love numbers. I majored in math and minored in statistics. Those things intrigue me. When you can think outside the box and you have to have answers, that's what I'm about. We immediately hit it off."
Sixteen years later, Morris and Malzahn are now on the same staff together.
The two former high school coaches had coached against each other in the SEC the past two seasons with Morris at Arkansas and Malzahn at Auburn. But when Morris was let go last month and Auburn's offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham left for the same position at Florida State, it created the perfect storm that led to a reunion of sorts for Morris and Malzahn.
BOOM!!! #WarEagle https://t.co/akpCDLJhEU
— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) December 10, 2019
For Morris, it gives him an opportunity to return to his role as an offensive coordinator and coach with Malzahn at a program he's always respected.
"Knowing Auburn and being here several times before at different stops, I'm really excited about being a part of the Auburn Family," he said. "The toughness and just the drive of Auburn football, one of the top programs in the country year in and year out, that really excites me."
For Auburn, it was the chance to add one of the better offensive minds in college football and a coach who is familiar with Malzahn and what he runs on offense. At the same, Morris, can also bring different subtleties to the offense that he's learned at different stops along the way.
"Coach Malzahn has an incredible offensive mind," Morris said. "I wouldn't be standing where I am today in college football without Coach Malzahn. It goes back to our time in high school and from that year ever since, we would always talk football and really get specific and even sharing staffs when I was a coordinator and he was a coordinator.
"To be in the same room with him, I'm excited about learning, continuing to grow and bringing value. And bringing some things that we do."
In his first week on the job, Morris has been spending time around the team and getting to know the players. He's been at practice and in team meetings, learning the offense and adding insight where he can. For the bowl game, he plans to be in the press box.
Morris will also play a major role in helping develop Auburn quarterback Bo Nix, the SEC's Freshman of the Year this season.
"When you look at Bo, he's a winner," Morris said. "That's all he knows. He comes from a winning family. Being able to observe him on the other side of the field this year and watching his skill set and watching him develop this year from game one to when we played him, you just saw progress each week.
"And now being here the short five days that I've been around, he can't get enough film work with me. He can't come in the office enough. He's picking my brain and wanting to know what I see. That's exciting because you know you have a quarterback that wants to be elite and is going to do what it takes to be elite."
In addition to Nix, who will be a sophomore next year, the Tigers will return the majority of their skill players in 2020. They also just added 12 new players on offense on Wednesday's signing day, including five offensive linemen.
Sixteen years ago, Morris took a chance by going to study Malzahn. If it backfired, he could've been a high school football coach looking for a job. Instead, the move eventually helped him elevate to the college ranks and now he's come full circle by joining Malzahn at Auburn.
"To be here where I am today, standing at this podium in this team room, I'm extremely honored and blessed that my family is going to get to be a part of the Auburn Family," he said.
Before walking away from the podium, Morris added a "War Eagle" to those in attendance.