TROY | Chip Lindsey said Friday that he's always been a dreamer.
"I dreamed of being a head football coach in college," he said.
He passed that major milestone earlier this week when he accepted an offer to take command of Troy's football program. Lindsey spent the past two seasons as Auburn's offensive coordinator, though he left for a job on Les Miles' new staff at Kansas on Dec. 4.
Lindsey said his time with Gus Malzahn, which also included a one-year stint as an off-the-field assistant back during the 2010 season, gave him an appreciation for the Auburn coach's unusual appreciation for specificity.
"Watching him manage all the aspects of the program, you know, (Malzahn is) very organized, very detailed," Lindsey said. "That’s one thing I did learn from him — he has a routine, he’s very organized about how he goes about things."
Lindsey's arrival prior to the 2017 season wasn't a surprise given his previous experience with Malzahn and his affinity for run-first, uptempo offense. Still, his departure was surprising.
Auburn's offense, on average, gained 18 percent fewer yards per game last season as compared to Lindsey's first season. Also, Auburn's regular-season scoring average dropped from 34 points per game to 27.
In that sense, Lindsey's decision to jump for the same job at Kansas wasn't shocking. The timing, however, was surprising. Lindsey left before Auburn's bowl practice began.
"(Les Miles) wanted someone to run the offense with his personality," Lindsey said. "Once he approached me and we started talking, it just made sense for me to leave and start helping with recruiting because they’re in a unique scholarship situation. They only had 15 available. We had to get some key areas. To do that, I had to be there or we’d have been very behind."
Troy athletic director Jeremy McClain said Friday that he asked Lindsey several questions about Auburn's dip in offensive performance last fall, but was given an explanation that clarified the situation. McClain, who worked with Lindsey at Southern Miss in 2014 and 2015, didn't reveal Lindsey's explanation.
"When you’re at Auburn and you’re not winning 10 games, that’s a problem," McClain said. "The numbers were down. Just like any situation, there are various reasons that was the case. Having some understanding of that that was important to me, but that didn’t bother me. Because his numbers were down offensively — we investigated it. He has a track record (of success), I’ve seen him do it."
McClain said he spoke with Malzahn recently and received a rave review of Lindsey — both as a coach and as an employee.
"We couldn’t find anybody to say anything negative about him," McClain said.
Lindsey said he appreciates Malzahn's endorsement.
"We’ve got a great relationship," he said. "He’s been really supportive of me during this process. He probably helped me in a lot of ways."
