BREAKING: Chip Lindsey reportedly taking OC job at Auburn

Arizona State Sun Devils offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey is reportedly on the move, heading to the Auburn Tigers to take the same position he held in Tempe.

The move was first reported by ESPN’s Brett McMurphy.

Lindsey — who rose to prominence at Southern Mississippi from 2014-2015 — was hired by head coach Todd Graham prior to the 2016 season, replacing former offensive coordinator Mike Norvell (who is now the head coach at Memphis). Sun Devils running back coach John Simon joined ASU’s staff last offseason after serving in the same capacity alongside Lindsey at Southern Miss for two seasons.

He briefly flirted with taking the head coaching job with the Golden Eagles when it became open one month after he left for the desert, but ultimately remained with Arizona State, earning a $100,000 pay increase for his loyalty.

Georgia State and Auburn have been amongst a handful of programs discussed as looking to potentially poach Lindsey from ASU this offseason.

The Alabama-native already has some ties with Auburn, serving as an offensive analyst who focused on the wide receivers and passing game when the Tigers made the national championship game in 2013.

In his lone season with the Sun Devils, Lindsey’s offense averaged 33.3 points and 390.8 total yards per game (ranked 81st in FBS) in lieu of key injuries at several positions over the campaign. That mark was good enough to finish in the top-half of an explosive Pac-12 conference.

Through this point, the 42-year-old has been a key component to Arizona State’s recruiting success, helping the program to land prominent targets, such as former five-star and Alabama quarterback Blake Barnett in December. National Signing Day is less than two weeks away.

Lindsey’s departure marks the fourth hit to Graham’s staff this offseason alone following Jay Norvell (Nevada), DelVaughn Alexander (Notre Dame), and Chris Thomsen’s (TCU) moves.

With Lindsey on the way out, the Sun Devils are set to have their third different offensive coordinator in three seasons when the 2017 season begins.

UPDATE: The Tigers have officially announced Lindsey as their new offensive coordinator.