The Gus Bus is hiring a new driver.

Talk about your late night news dump, this popped up about 10PM yesterday.

Rhett Lashlee is leaving his offensive coordinator position at Auburn to take the same position at the University of Connecticut.

The move was announced officially by the Huskies program on Twitter Wednesday evening after Fox Sports reporter Bruce Fedman originally broke the story minutes before.

A lateral move out of the SEC to a program that’s one of the lesser lights in the FBS?  Wut? Malzahn explains.

“This is a great opportunity for Rhett to implement and run his own offense. I’ve known Rhett for two decades and he’s a man of great character and integrity and this is another step towards his goal to become a head coach. I want to thank Rhett for all of his contributions and his friendship. I want to wish he and his wife Lauren all the best in this new endeavor.”

Yeah, sure.  And before you ask, no, it’s not about money.

According to USA Today’s latest database numbers, Lashlee’s annual salary last season was $601,500 with the possibility of additional bonuses that could go as high as $190,000. According to ESPN.com college football reporter Brett McMurphy, Lashlee is reportedly taking a sizable pay cut in his new position at Connecticut. McMurphy reported Wednesday night that Lashlee has agreed to a three-year deal with an annual salary of $350,000.

A fifty percent pay cut doing the same job at a shittier program is a great opportunity?  Cold translation:  don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out, son.

Now I doubt this is something that just came to Malzahn in the middle of the night, so the timing is noteworthy, in that five-star stud quarterback Jarrett Stidham is now safely in the Auburn fold.  What’s the big deal there?  Oh, not much.

pic.twitter.com/sl5Riz44iw

— Dawg Sports (@dawgsports) January 12, 2017

Remember, kid, what they always tell you:  you commit to the school, not the coach.  Gus will explain it to you if you don’t understand.

Which brings us to the question who will have the opportunity to get close to Stidham, now that his former flame be gone.  The list of suspects is about what you’d expect, guys like former Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig, Jake Spavital (who’s looking for a job now), Arizona State’s offensive coordinator, Art Briles… HOLY CRAP GUS MALZAHN MIGHT HIRE ART BRILES.

I mean, what could possibly be wrong with Art Briles?  He’s an offensive genius.

Briles has had a connection with Malzahn dating back years when the two staffs began trading playbook ideas with each other. Both staffs have made trips to each other’s campuses to go over new and innovative ideas with their similar offenses. And that right there is probably where this connection stops making sense. In case you’d forgotten, and I doubt many folks have, an independent review by the Pepper Hamilton law firm found that Baylor football coaches and staff interfered with investigations into sexual assault complaints against players, and even impeded potential criminal proceedings. The firm released a 13-page report on May 26, the same day Briles was immediately suspended before reaching a mutual agreement with the school for his departure about a month later. Briles hasn’t been interviewed for a job in college football since the Pepper Hamilton report was released. It would be a near impossibility for Auburn to explain this hire from a public relations standpoint.

Hey, we’re in the age of Trump.  Nobody has to explain anything anymore.  And you have to admit it would sure make Stidham comfy.

It would be the ultimate Second Chance U move, and if there’s any school more into second chances than Auburn, I’d be hard-pressed to name it.

If Jimmy Sexton manages to pull this off, he’s a wizard.

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UPDATE:  I’m shocked, shocked by the early results in this reader poll.

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UPDATE #2:  “No way on Art,” a high-level source told Auburn Undercover on Thursday.  Thanks for getting everyone’s hopes up.