Former Hogs interim coach Barry Lunney Jr. leaves; Chad Morris hired as Auburn offensive coordinator

Arkansas interim head coach Barry Lunney Jr. is shown during a game against Missouri on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019, in Little Rock.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Barry Lunney Jr., the former University of Arkansas quarterback who served as interim head coach for the final two games in November, is expected to take the offensive coordinator position at Texas-San Antonio, sources told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Tuesday.

Lunney would be following former Arkansas running backs coach Jeff Traylor, who was appointed head coach of the Roadrunners on Monday.

The move has not been announced by UTSA.

Lunney, 45, interviewed for the Hogs' head coaching job with Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek last week before Sam Pittman was chosen Sunday to permanently succeed the fired Chad Morris. Lunney served on the UA coaching staff since 2013, joining Coach Bret Bielema in his first season with the Razorbacks.

Also Tuesday, Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn announced he had hired Morris to be his offensive coordinator, replacing Kenny Dillingham, who followed Mike Norvell to Florida State.

Morris had a successful run as offensive coordinator at Tulsa (2010) and Clemson (2011-14) before leading SMU to a 14-22 record in three seasons as head coach. Morris was 4-18 at Arkansas before his firing Nov. 10.

Malzahn and Morris have been friends for more than a decade, since Morris came to study the hurry-up, no-huddle offense Malzahn was running at Shiloh Christian High School in Springdale during the early 2000s.

"I'm super excited to have Chad Morris join our staff at Auburn," Malzahn said in a statement. "He's a tremendous offensive mind who has had success with several top-ranked offenses during his time in the college ranks. I've known Chad for almost 20 years, and he is a tireless worker and a perfectionist."

Morris' salary at Auburn was not released Tuesday. Whatever he is paid by the Tigers will mitigate the amount owed to him by the University of Arkansas, which is roughly $2.4 million per year for the next four years, starting in January, based on the contract he signed in 2018.

Lunney, a 40-game starter at quarterback for the Razorbacks from 1992-95, guided Arkansas to its first SEC West Division title in 1995 under coach Danny Ford.

He was 0-2 as interim coach for the Razorbacks, starting with a 56-20 loss at No. 1 LSU that was a 7-6 game early in the second quarter.

Arkansas closed the year with a 24-14 loss to Missouri in Little Rock with its fifth starting quarterback of the season at the controls in Jack Lindsey.

Pittman and Yurachek referred questions Monday about Lunney's status with the Razorbacks back to him. Lunney did not return text messages Monday or Tuesday.

Pittman called Lunney a good friend, and Yurachek said Lunney's work as the interim coach earned him an interview for the full-time position.

"He did an excellent job," Yurachek said. "He did nothing but improve and enhance his stock as a potential head coach. But, in the end, I thought that Coach Pittman checked more of the boxes of what I was looking for in our next head coach."

There was no official movement on Pittman's first Arkansas staff Tuesday.

However, current defensive line coach Steve Caldwell, who is in his second stint at Arkansas, was on recruiting visits with Pittman the past two days. Brad Davis, the offensive line coach at Missouri the last two seasons, was also on those recruiting stops wearing University of Arkansas gear, signifying he likely will join Pittman's staff.

Other offensive coordinator candidates for Pittman include SMU coordinator Rhett Lashlee, a Springdale native; Colorado coordinator Jay Johnson; and ex-Ole Miss coordinator Rich Rodriguez, the former head coach at West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona.

Former Missouri coach Barry Odom, considered a top candidate to replace Norvell at Memphis, also has been linked to the vacant defensive coordinator post for the Razorbacks.

Sports on 12/11/2019