Miami Hurricanes OC Rhett Lashlee named best coach in CFB by Gus Malzahn
Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee was praised as having done the best coaching job in college football this season by his mentor, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn.
Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee played quarterback for Gus Malzahn at Shiloah Christian Schoool in Springdale, Arkansas. He was an assistant for the Auburn head coach with the Tigers and Arkansas State. Tuesday, Malzahn praised Lashlee’s influence on the Miami offense is the best coaching job in college football.
The Miami offense has completely transformed under Lashlee after he was hired away from SMU in January. Miami is 12th in scoring offense averaging 43.3 points per game, 14th averaging 499 total yards per game and fourth in plays per game. The averages for the Miami offense have significantly increased over 2019.
Miami finished 91st with 844 total plays in 2019, averaging 64.9 plays per game and was 98th averaging 367.2 yards per game. The Hurricanes offense is almost unrecognizable from 2019. Lashlee has coordinated some elite offenses during his career. D’Eriq King might be the best quarterback Lashlee has coached.
King also came to Miami from Texas after playing for Houston in the last four seasons. Behind Lashlee’s play-calling, King has completed 62 of 93 pass attempts for 733 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions and run for 157 yards and another TD. King is the perfect QB for the Lashlee power spread.
Gus Malzahn on the success of Miami OC Rhett Lashlee, who was on his #Auburn staff from 2013-16: "With what they were the last two years, what he's done is incredible. Probably the best coaching job in the country (this season) up to this point."
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) September 29, 2020
Lashlee was a record-setting QB playing for Malzahn at Springdale. Nearly every major Arkansas high school passing record is held by Lashlee who won a state-record 40 games against only three losses and two ties and won two state championships in three championship game appearances from 1999-2001.
Lashlee began his coaching career at Shiloh as the QB coach in 2004–2005. Lashlee joined Malzahn as a graduate assistant at Arkansas in 2006. When Malzahn moved on to Tulsa Lashlee was out of coaching for two seasons. Lashlee reunited as a grad assistant with Malzahn at Auburn in 2010.
Lashlee left in 2011 for Samford to become the offensive coordinator and QB coach. After one season at Samford, Lashlee joined Malzahn in 2012 at Arkansas State as the OC and QB coach and followed him to Auburn for the same position in 2013-2016. Lashlee left on his own for UConn in 2017.
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After one season in Storrs, Lashlee left for SMU. Lashlee was the offensive coordinator with SMU for two seasons before joining the Miami Hurricanes. SMU was seventh nationally with 1,037 plays. Five of the six teams ahead of SMU played at least one more game. Expect the Miami offense to continue to evolve in 2020.