Wait, what?
Rhett Lashlee spent the past four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Auburn. In late September, Gus Malzahn handed the play-calling reins over to Lashlee, leaving those duties to his assistant for the remainder of the 2016 season.
Four months later? UConn announced that new/old head coach Randy Edsall has hired Lashlee as his new coordinator on his Huskies coaching staff. The abrupt and unexpected divorce on The Plains was apparently an amicable one as UConn’s announcement included a quote from Lashlee’s former boss, which indicated that his underling left “to implement and run his own offense.”
“Rhett has been a valuable asset to our program, helping Auburn to a national championship as a graduate assistant and another national championship appearance in 2013,” Malzahn said in the statement. “Our offenses have achieved great success and he has been a big part of that. This is a great opportunity for Rhett to implement and run his own offense. I’ve known Rhett for two decades and he’s a man of great character and integrity and this is another step towards his goal to become a head coach. I want to thank Rhett for all of his contributions and his friendship. I want to wish he and his wife Lauren all the best in this new endeavor.”
“Auburn is a special place to me and my family,” Lashlee said. “All four of our kids were born in Auburn and I’m happy to have been part of two SEC Championships and two National Championship games. The Auburn Family will always be special to us.”
According to the release, Lashlee signed a three-year contract worth $350,000 the first year. In 2016, Lashlee made just a shade over $600,000 in what turned out to be his final season with the Tigers.
In addition to the coordinating role, Lashlee will also serve as quarterbacks coach for Edsall.
Said the head coach of his new coordinator, “He is one of the brightest offensive minds in college football and I know that his experience around some of the highest-powered offenses and top players in the country is going to be an incredible benefit to our program.”
