A perfect fit? A former QB who played for Chad Morris weighs in on Auburn offense
He doesn’t mince words, demands excellence and drinks Red Bull like water. And according to one of his former quarterbacks, Chad Morris is a perfect fit for Auburn.
Tajh Boyd, Clemson’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns, took over as the starting quarterback for the Tigers in 2011, Morris’ first season as offensive coordinator.
“I was there, (DeAndre) Hopkins was there, (Andre) Ellington was there, this was Sammy’s (Watkins) first year coming in,” Boyd said. “So we had these pieces, where for him it was like literally playing a video game. All he needed was for his quarterback to perform.
“When you look at Auburn, they have some of that makeup.”
Clemson’s offenses under Morris were some of the best nationally. Clemson’s offense in 2012 and 2013 marked the first time in ACC history that an active member of the conference had averaged more than 40 points per game in back-to-back seasons. Clemson was also one of two FBS schools with a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver every year from 2011 to 2013.
Boyd said Morris could “dream up a lot,” in terms of getting the ball to Anthony Schwartz, arguably the fastest player in college football. He sees Morris using Schwartz in the same way he used Watkins, a two-time first team All-American at Clemson and 2014 first-round NFL Draft pick.
But, along those lines, Boyd says that Morris will tell quarterback Bo Nix the same thing he told Boyd his first year.
“If you don’t find some way to get it done,” Morris said, according to Boyd’s account, “I’ll find somebody that will.”
For an offense with talent to succeed, Boyd said you need a quarterback and coordinator who “are gonna make that damn thing work.”
Morris, according to the former Clemson signal-caller, expects the same production during a game as he does during practice. He’s not the type of coach to scream into a player’s ear, but Boyd remembers “three or four” times when he struggled early in a game, and Morris calmly got his point across.
“I don’t know where my quarterback is,” Morris would say while chewing a stick of peppermint gum. “He better figure out where he’s at.”
Then, the offensive coordinator would simply walk away.
“That’s where you grow up,” Boyd said.
Morris took over as the head coach at SMU in 2015. His success at Clemson — a 41-11 record, two Orange Bowl appearances and a 2011 ACC title — provides plenty of reasons for Tigers fans to be optimistic.
The rebuilding job he oversaw at SMU is also a positive sign: The Mustangs went 1-11 the year before Morris was hired, before going 2-10, 5-7 and 7-5 under him.
But Morris’ recent stint at Arkansas could not have gone much worse.
The Razorbacks hired Morris following the 2017 season, but he managed only four wins in 22 games before being dismissed.
All four of his wins at Arkansas came against Group of Five or FCS competition. To date, he is the only full-time Razorback coach to have left the school without a conference win.
Boyd pointed to SMU’s success after Morris left as a reflection on the coaching and recruiting the coach did while in University Park, Texas. Clemson’s offense, according to Boyd, is still Morris’ offense, just with a few wrinkles thrown in.
“On the surface, this is a hell of an opportunity for Chad because it’s familiar,” Boyd said. “From there, I think that’s where you start to build Auburn into this powerhouse. Because whatever success he finds with this group, that’s just going to continue to trickle into all these other kids that come.”
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
