AUBURN | It doesn’t take an expert to know it’s hard to run a hurry-up, no-huddle offense if you’re having to substitute all the time. And those substitutions are one of the reasons Auburn’s offense just hasn’t looked the same since 2014.

But seventh-year head coach Gus Malzahn has simple plan to remedy that and it starts this spring.

“We're going to do our best this spring to keep 11 guys on the field without changing a whole bunch of personnel,” Malzahn said.

“We're going to try to be a little more versatile as far as spring goes. So we'll see where that kind of goes. But, yeah, we want to play as fast as we can.”

There’s a couple of big hurdles Malzahn and new offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham will have to overcome in order to get the HUNH offense back up and clicking. Of course, they’ve got to find a starter at quarterback among four candidates and they’ve also got to find a replacement for Chandler Cox at H-back.

In fact, finding an H-back or tight end that can remain on the field and provide adequate blocking while also being a receiving threat could be the determining factor in whether or not Auburn is forced to substitute a lot this fall.

“That's a position that's in a little bit of transition, but I think it's a good thing moving forward,” Malzahn said. “Now I will say this, with Chandler Cox, he's a tough guy to replace. He was a four-year starter and a coach on the field. He made things right when things weren't right sometimes. That's big shoes to fill for him. We'll be doing it by committee as far as spring goes. But that'll be a good position battle, too.”

The candidates to replace Cox include tight ends John Samuel Shenker, Tyler Fromm and Luke Deal, and fullback Spencer Nigh. Another intriguing possibility is redshirt freshman Harold Joiner.

“(Joiner) is going to play some running back, but he’s very versatile,” Malzahn said. “We’re going to move him around this spring. He’s the type that can do a lot of different things—he runs the ball well, catches the ball well, so, he is a running back, but we’re going to utilize him in some different ways.”

Auburn will hold the first of 15 spring practices Monday afternoon. The A-Day game will be April 13 at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network.