Gus Malzahn is looking for a new right-hand man.

Patrick Suddes, the top man on Auburn’s support staff, has left to take a similar position on Geoff Collins' staff at Georgia Tech, a person familiar with the decision tells Auburn Undercover. Suddes and Collins worked together at Alabama in 2007. His title at Tech is expected to be general manager.

Suddes had been with Auburn since 2016 and served as the assistant athletics director for football handling office work and overseeing the Tigers’ recruiting department. He also managed the roster.

Malzahn said in December he would delegate more of his inner-office duties as a head coach to others on the staff, with Suddes handling most of the duties as Malzahn focused more on play-calling and coaching on the field.

“Pat Suddes is the one that is really my right hand guy,” Malzahn said on Dec. 19. “Me and (athletics director) Allen (Greene) have a great relationship. I’m really looking forward to next season.”

Malzahn took over play-calling on offense in the Music City Bowl. The Tigers defeated Purdue 63-14.

Should Malzahn look within the department for a replacement, candidates include Brett Whiteside, director of football operations; Mollie Moore, director of recruiting operations; Stefan Schmidt, director of player personnel; Jorrell Bostrom, director of player development; and Billy High, director of recruiting.

Suddes was Arizona State’s assistant athletics director for recruiting during 2014-15. He served as director of player personnel at Texas under Mack Brown during the 2013 season and spent six seasons before that at Alabama (2007-13) as associate director of football operations. His duties included organizing weekly recruiting meetings, developing monthly recruiting initiatives, coordinating and monitoring all recruiting events and day-to-day activities, overseeing summer camps and coaching clinics, and creating a marketing and strategic plan that included social media expansion and mobile app development.

Suddes spent two seasons under Nick Saban with the Miami Dolphins, including 2005 as a defensive assistant and 2006 as an offensive assistant, responsible for quality control, including breakdown and scouting reports of opponents, organizing game plans and self-scouting, in both positions.

Suddes graduated from Alabama in 2005 with a degree in business management. He began his career in 2004 as a recruiting intern at LSU where he assisted in day-to-day recruiting operations and quality control on offense and defense. Suddes is a graduate of Marist High School in Atlanta, Georgia. He is married to the former Rachel Notar from Pell City, Alabama.

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