RHETT LASHLEE
Position:
Offensive Coordinator
Group:
Quarterbacks
Second-year Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who helped the Tigers to a 2013 SEC Championship and a BCS Championship berth last season, helped spearhead one of the most prolific offenses in Auburn history in 2013. For the last two seasons, he has been a finalist for the Broyles Award, presented to the nation's top assistant coach.
In 2013, Auburn had the second biggest turnaround in college football history in NCAA records at +8.0 games.
Without starting quarterback Nick Marshall going through spring workouts, Lashlee coached the junior college transfer who played defensive back as a freshman at Georgia to 3,044 yards of total offense (1976 passing, 1068 rushing) while throwing for 14 touchdowns and rushing for 12 TDs.
Auburn led the nation rushing for 328.3 yards per game, was ranked 11th in total offense with 501.3 yards per game, 12th in scoring offense with 39.5 points per game, 13th with 334 first downs and 21st in red zone offense efficiency (54-of-61, .885).
The Tigers set a school record with 48 rushing touchdowns on the season, set a school record against SEC opponents with 677 yards of total offense vs. No. 5 Missouri in the SEC Championship Game.
The Tigers set SEC Championship Game team records for rushing 26 first downs, 74 rushing attempts, 545 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
Junior Tre Mason, a Heisman Trophy finalist and SEC Player of the Year, ranked third in the nation with 23 touchdowns, sixth nationally with 1,816 yards rushing, sixth with 10.7 points per game, sixth with 169.57 all-purpose yards per game and eighth with 129.7 rushing yards per game.
Mason set Auburn single-season records with 2,374 all-purpose yards, and 1,816 rushing yards and was second with 317 rushing attempts. His 46 rushing attempts and 304 rushing yards vs. No. 5 Missouri set SEC Championship Game records and was three yards shy of the Auburn record. Mason is the fifth 1,000-yard rusher he has coached since 2007 and the second Heisman finalist.
Three offensive players were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, tackle Greg Robinson No. 2 overall by the St. Louis Rams, Mason in the third round by the Rams and fullback Jay Prosch in the sixth round by the Houston Texans.
Wide receiver Sammie Coates ranked third nationally with 21.48 yards per reception, 42 catches for 902 yards and seven touchdowns.
Trailing by one, sophomore Ricardo Louis' miracle 73-yard touchdown reception from Nick Marshall with 25 seconds remaining was deflected by a Bulldog defender and gave the Tigers a 43-38 victory over No. 25 Georgia. What could have been the play of the year, was supplanted a week later by Chris Davis' remarkable 109-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown with time expired in the 34-28 win over No. 1 Alabama, giving the Tigers the Western Division Championship.
Lashlee has spent seven of the last 10 seasons working closely with head coach Gus Malzahn and his innovative offense in a variety of capacities. Lashlee also coaches the Auburn quarterbacks.
During the 2012 season as offensive coordinator at Arkansas State, Lashlee, a Broyles Award nominee as the nation's top assistant coach, helped guide ASU to a Sun Belt Championship while ranking 17th nationally in total offense (481.8 ypg), 21st in scoring offense (36.4 ppg) and rushing offense (217.4 ypg).
Under Lashlee, school and conference record-setting quarterback Ryan Aplin was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year, leading the league in passing yards, passing efficiency and total offense.
Prior to his tenure at Arkansas State, Lashlee served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Samford in 2011, where he installed a high-tempo offense that improved the Bulldogs' national ranking in total offense from No. 57 in the nation to No. 36 over the course of just one year, while helping the Bulldogs average 28 points per game compared to 17 a game the previous year.
He helped Samford post a 6-5 record, including a 4-4 Southern Conference mark in 2011, matching its best ever as a member of the league. Samford broke the school record for points scored in a league game with 52 against Western Carolina as Lashlee helped the school jump from No. 100 in the nation in scoring offense to No. 43. He coached Samford wide receiver Kelsey Pope, who broke the school record for receptions in a game, while quarterback Dustin Taliaferro broke Samford's career record for completions.
While at Auburn as an offensive graduate assistant during the 2009-10 seasons, Lashlee assisted Malzahn with all aspects of the offense and coached the slot receivers in 2010. In 2009, the Tigers finished 8-5 winning the Outback Bowl. During the 2010 season he helped the Tigers finish 14-0, winning the Southeastern Conference Championship and the BCS National Championship behind Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton.
Lashlee's college coaching career began in 2006 at Arkansas, where he served as offensive graduate assistant while working with
Malzahn, helping the Razorbacks to a 10-4 record and an SEC Western Division Championship behind Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden and fellow All-American Felix Jones. Lashlee worked with Malzahn at Springdale High School in Arkansas in 2004 and 2005, working with the quarterbacks and 2005 Gatorade, Parade Magazine and Rivals.com National Player of the Year Mitch Mustain.
A backup quarterback at the University of Arkansas from 2002-04, when his career was cut short due to a shoulder injury, Lashlee graduated from Shiloh Christian High School in Springdale, Ark., in 2002. He played quarterback for
Malzahn (1999-2000) and Chris Wood (2001) at Shiloh Christian, posting a state-record 40 career wins (40-3-2 as a starter) while leading his team to three straight state championship game appearances that included two state titles. He was also named the 2001 AP Arkansas Player of the Year.
Lashlee owns virtually every state passing record and when his career had finished, he had broken the national record for career touchdown passes (171), career touchdowns (200), most passing yards in a game (672) and was second with 13,201 passing yards.
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