Luper moves to the top of AU's list

TCU co-offensive coordinator Curtis Luper has risen to the top of Gus Malzahn's wish list in his search for a new assistant coach, a pair of Auburn sources have confirmed for AuburnSports.com.

Auburn parted ways with running backs coach Tim Horton last week after six seasons.

Luper, who has coached running backs since the 1990s, spent four seasons at Auburn beginning in 2009. He reported to Malzahn, who then served as the Tigers' coordinator, for three of those seasons.

He recruited and signed the core of Auburn's 2010 championship team — quarterback Cam Newton, defensive tackle Nick Fairley and tailback Michael Dyer — while also dreaming up Big Cat Weekend, an early-summer recruiting spectacle that many college programs quickly replicated. He also formulated the Tiger Prowl, a barnstorming tour that brought Auburn to its recruits via well-appointed recreational vehicles and limousines that traveled around the region.

The NCAA later passed a rule banning those barnstorming tours.

Auburn's recruiting classes finished in the top 10 of Rivals.com's team ranking in three of Luper's four seasons on the Plains. The Tigers' Class of 2010 haul was ranked as the No. 4 class that year.

Luper left for TCU prior to the 2013 season and has been with the Horned Frogs ever since. He served as receivers coach for one season before taking over running backs in 2014. He has served as the Frogs' co-offensive coordinator since February 2017.

The Frogs have finished in the AP Top 10 during three of the past five seasons.

To land Luper, Malzahn will be forced to dig deep financially. Kenny Dillingham was hired as the Tigers' new offensive coordinator in December with a base salary of $500,000 per year. TCU's status as a private school means it isn't required to release contract information for its coaches, though it's reasonable to assume Luper makes more than $500,000 in Ft. Worth.