AUBURN, Ala. – When Auburn begins spring practice on March 16, new offensive coordinator Chad Morris will be back doing what he loves.
"I enjoy being here with the staff, sitting and talking ball," Morris said. "I'm really excited about the build of it."
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn hired Morris in December, continuing a relationship that began two decades earlier when both were high school coaches and Morris traveled from Texas to Arkansas to learn the principles of Malzahn's up-tempo offense.
"I'm excited about marrying what Coach Malzahn has done in the past – it's in the same family," Morris said. "I think the players are excited, too. I think Coach is excited about it."
Like Malzahn, Morris earned his opportunity to coach in college by winning state championships in high school. Once they arrived, both coaches instantly improved their teams' offenses. At Clemson in 2012 and 2013, Morris' offense made ACC history, averaging more than 40 points a game in back-to-back seasons.
"I've known Coach forever," said Morris, the AFCA national assistant coach of the year in 2013. "Coach and I think a lot alike."
Known for incorporating the tight end in his passing game, Morris intends to deploy that position on the Plains.
"Tight ends are a big part of who we are and what we do," Morris said. "That position is special. You've got to have a guy who can create that mismatch and we've been fortunate, we've been able to have that."
A coach who values family joins a program that's known for family.
"What's really enticed me about coming back and getting back in it is the family atmosphere," Morris said. "That's something we always took pride in creating. When you look around Auburn and playing Auburn in the past from an outside looking in, you know that Auburn people love Auburn. There's a true family feel.
"Then you become a part of it, like I have over the past few months, and you see the true love in this university for Auburn. Then you look down the hallway here at the number of Auburn people who are on this staff and the family atmosphere that Auburn brings, that's part of my fit here."
The challenge of producing high-powered offenses and winning championships while developing student-athletes inspired Morris to become a coach.
"That's why I'm back in it here right now," he said. "I feel like I can make a difference in people's lives. I'm just a simple guy who loves coaching. There's nobody who wants to win any more than I do. I'm going to appreciate every day.
"I want to be known as a guy who cared more about their players far more than just about a football player. Football's what I do, it's not who I am. I want to be known for someone who's going to hold them accountable, who's going to strain them, but there's going to be a genuine respect there."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer