Michigan has reportedly found its new offensive coordinator after parting ways with Kirk Campbell. Reports are coming out that head coach Sherrone Moore has hired North Carolina offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey.
Hit the jump for more.
Lindsey is a native of Alabama and played wide receiver at North Alabama. After spending some time in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a high school coach in his home state, he moved up the coaching ranks at Troy (QB coach), Auburn (offensive assistant), Southern Miss (OC/QB coach), Arizona State (OC/QB coach), Auburn (OC/QB coach), Troy (head coach), UCF (OC/QB coach), and then North Carolina (OC/QB coach). He has spent a lot of time with Gus Malzahn at Auburn and UCF, and he worked under current Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken when Monken was the head coach at Southern Miss. (Side note: I wonder if John Harbaugh was involved at all with perhaps feeling out Monken for offensive coordinator suggestions.)
I think this is a very good hire for the Wolverines. I’ve seen some people upset because Lindsey hasn’t spent more than a few years at any particular spot, but . . . welcome to modern college football. If you’re a successful coordinator, you’re wanted at higher levels or as a head coach. Michigan has seen that in recent years with Mike Macdonald, Jesse Minter, and even Sherrone Moore; Moore would have been a head coach elsewhere if he hadn’t basically been pegged as a “head coach in waiting” at Michigan.
Lindsey checks most of the boxes I was looking for as an offensive coordinator. While he’s more of an 11 personnel guy than a 12 personnel type, he does have success with a physical run game. He also adds the QB to the run game, which I think is going to be an important factor for new quarterback Bryce Underwood. Lindsey also gets production from his quarterback, both as a passer and as a runner. I think UNC was limited with its personnel this past season, but he still did some good things in the passing game.
STARTING QB STATS OVER PAST THREE SEASONS AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
- 2024 Jacolby Criswell (UNC): 58% completions, 2452 yards, 15 TD, 6 INT; 96 yards rushing, 3 TD
- 2023 Drake Maye (UNC): 64% completions, 3608 yards, 24 TD, 9 INT; 449 yards rushing, 9 TD
- 2022 John Rhys Plumlee (UCF): 63% completions, 2586 yards, 15 TD, 8 INT; 862 yards rushing, 11 TD
STARTING RB STATS OVER PAST THREE SEASONS AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
- 2024 Omarion Hampton (UNC): 281 carries, 1660 yards, 15 TD
- 2023 Omarion Hampton: 253 carries, 1504 yards, 15 TD
- 2022 Isaiah Bowser (UCF): 205 carries, 799 yards, 16 TD
What I see is a coach who adjusts to his personnel. When Lindsey was at UCF with John Rhys Plumlee (who was not a talented thrower and transitioned to WR at one point in his career), he let Plumlee run all over the place, letting the QB become the team’s leading rusher. When he had a great talent with Drake Maye – who was both a good passer and runner – he had Maye throwing for 3,600 yards and running for 449 yards and 9 scores.
Things I expect to see from Lindsey at Michigan:
- RUN GAME: Inside zone, outside zone, power, GT counter (plus bubble screens as run game relief)
- PASS GAME: Downfield passing game, intermediate throws over the middle of the field, quick screens
- PERSONNEL: 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE)
Of course, Moore will have some say about what Lindsey runs and what personnel he uses. Perhaps Lindsey will find ways to incorporate more tight ends and fullbacks. Again, I think Lindsey has adjusted to his personnel, but a couple of his mentors (Malzahn and Monken) have shown the ability to use tight ends/fullbacks in their power spread offenses. So even though that hasn’t been a big component of Lindsey’s offenses in the past couple years, I think he has the resources to make that adjustment if Moore challenges him to do so.
Overall, as I said above, I think this is a good hire for Michigan. Lindsey is an established coach with good connections, and he has a Drake Maye-level player in 5-star freshman Bryce Underwood. Michigan really values physicality and the run game, and Lindsey’s running backs run for a bunch of yards and/or score a bunch of touchdowns. I would like to see Michigan pursue a quality running back to be that bell cow ball carrier, and they of course need to find some wide receivers to try to open up that passing game. The transfer portal is going to be key this off-season, but that was going to be the case regardless of the offensive coordinator hire.
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