ASU Football: Chip Lindsey, The Man Behind Offensive Success

New Arizona State football offensive coordinator, Chip Lindsey, has stepped on the scene as one of the top offensive coordinators in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils are off to a 4-0 start and their offense is rolling.

When the previous offensive coordinator, Mike Norvell, left for the head coaching job in Memphis, Arizona State head coach Todd Graham made it a priority to bring in Chip Lindsey as the replacement. It is Graham’s fifth season as head coach and the program really needed someone like Lindsey to continue the Sun Devils’ offensive philosophy.

Lindsey has been known for developing quarterbacks as well. Arizona State had to start a quarterback this season with little to no college game experience. Manny Wilkins and Brady White obviously both entered this season in need of some guidance no matter who started.

Chip Lindsey began his career coaching high school football in Alabama. He would run a spread offense to maximize the talent on the field. His first college experience began at Troy and then was on the staff of the 2011 BCS Champion Auburn Tigers team.

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In college, Lindsey switched up his offensive mindset and started incorporating tighter formations and other offensive aspects along with the spread style.

Southern Miss is where Lindsey really made a name for himself. He was the offensive coordinator for USM in 2014 and 2015. With Lindsey as offensive coordinator, Southern Miss had a 9-4 regular season in 2015 and earned a spot in the Heart of Dallas Bowl against Washington. The Golden Eagles averaged 519 yards and 40.6 points per game last year.

Lindsey left Southern Miss early last season to come help prepare the Sun Devils for the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl against West Virginia.

So far, Chip Lindsey has done a fantastic job as offensive coordinator in his first year with the Sun Devils. His offense ranks 7th in the FBS in scoring at 48.8 points per game, and also ranks 19th in yards per game at 507.8.

Lindsey has done a good job at connecting with his players and figuring out how to make them better. He shapes the offense to the strengths of the players and finds the best matchups against the opposing defense.

Young quarterback Manny Wilkins was awarded the starting job at the beginning of the season, and he looks like an experienced quarterback on the field. Wilkins’ success has come from not only his talent, but also the coaching from Lindsey, allowing Wilkins to take charge of the offense.

Next: ASU Football: Running Game the Key to Success

Arizona State has relied heavily on their offense so far this season, and Chip Lindsey can easily take a lot of the credit for the 4-0 start. Lindsey and the Sun Devils take on the USC Trojans this Saturday in Los Angeles. It will be interesting to see the dynamic Arizona State offense play their first Pac-12 road test in a hostile environment.

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