UCF, Gus Malzahn hire Chip Lindsey as offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach
UCF coach Gus Malzahn wasted no time finding a new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.
Less than one week after co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach G.J. Kinne accepted a job to become the head coach at Incarnate Word, UCF announced the hiring of former Troy coach Chip Lindsey on Monday.
Prior to three seasons at Troy, Lindsey worked under Malzahn from 2017-18 in the same coordinator role and previously in 2013 as an offensive analyst.
“We’re thrilled to have Chip be part of our UCF family,” Malzahn said in a media release. “He was with me in 2013 when we went to the national-championship game and again in 2017 when we won the SEC West. He’s a great quarterback developer, and he’ll be a great addition to our staff.”
Lindsey went 15-19 in his three seasons at Troy, including 5-6 this season, and was fired before the end of November.
He was reportedly set to become the offensive coordinator at FAU but the program never officially announced anything and declined to comment, according to the Palm Beach Post.
While Troy didn’t have sustained success under Lindsey, not winning more than 5 games in any of the three years, the Trojans featured explosive offenses.
In 2020, Troy ranked 21st in the country and second in the Sun Belt by averaging 290.2 passing yards per game while sophomore quarterback Gunnar Watson led the league with 237.9 passing yards per game. The season prior, Troy finished ninth nationally in passing offense, 25th in scoring offense and 18th in total offense.
“I’m extremely excited to come to UCF after watching that program from afar,” Lindsey in the release. “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to reconnect with Coach Malzahn and work with him again. He changed the way college football is played with the things he has done. I’m looking forward to building on UCF ‘s big bowl win.”
In addition to having impressive numbers on offense, Troy had success on the recruiting trail under Lindsey, signing two of the top recruiting classes in program history.
The 2020 class was ranked second in the Sun Belt and the third-highest rated class in school history, according to 247Sports, while the 2021 class featured the highest per-player average ranking in Troy history.
In 2017 with Lindsey as offensive coordinator, Auburn became just the eighth team in SEC history and the first in Auburn history to rush and pass for 3,000 yards in a season. That year the Tigers won the SEC West but lost to UCF in the 2018 Peach Bowl.
Prior to his second stint at Auburn, Lindsey served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arizona State in 2016. As offensive coordinator at Southern Miss from 2014-15, he developed Conference USA 2015 Offensive Player of the Year and current Cleveland Browns quarterback Nick Mullens.
His first college job came in 2010 when he served as Troy’s quarterback coach before leaving to become head coach at Spain Park High School in Alabama from 2011-12. The following year, he joined Malzahn as an offensive analyst at Auburn.
Before heading to the college ranks, Lindsey began his coaching career across high schools in Alabama and Georgia.
A two-time coach-of-the-year honoree (2008-09) at Lassiter High School in Georgia, he guided the development of Parade All-American Hutson Mason, who broke every single-season state passing record in 2009.
The Trojans went 12-1 and won a regional championship in 2009, and Lindsey received state coach-of-the-year honors from the Atlanta Falcons and the Cobb County Touchdown Club.
Lindsey served as offensive coordinator at Hoover High School in Alabama in 2007 as the team finished 10-2 and advanced to the third round of the state playoffs.
Lindsey’s first experience as a head coach came from 2005-06 at Alabama’s Colbert Heights. He spent the 1997-2004 seasons as an assistant coach at multiple schools, including Florence, Deshler, Sparkman and Springville in Alabama.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.
