Ann Arbor — Michigan coach Sherrone Moore apparently has zeroed in on the program’s next offensive coordinator.
North Carolina offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, a 26-year coaching veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Tar Heels as coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is expected to be the Wolverines’ offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports Tuesday night.
Lindsey not only will be charged with shaping the Michigan offense but will work with Bryce Underwood, the incoming freshman quarterback and No. 1 overall recruit who officially signed with Michigan last Wednesday. Last season at UNC, Lindsey worked with Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall player taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He has considerable experience coaching quarterbacks throughout his career. He was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Southern Miss (2014-2015), Arizona State (2016), Auburn (2017-2018), then became head coach at Troy (2019-2021). He was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at UCF in 2022 and then at UNC the last two years.
Moore fired Kirk Campbell, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, after one season last Tuesday, and began interviewing candidates after the start of the early signing period last Wednesday. He said he wanted to find a coach who can build a balanced offense.
During a news conference Tuesday night to discuss Michigan’s upcoming ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama, Moore was asked how soon he will be making a hire.
“Pretty close,” Moore said. “Think in the next day or so I’ll have an answer.”
North Carolina ranked 37th in total offense this season averaging 423.4 yards and 35th in scoring, averaging 32.3 points. Michigan was 128th in total offense (294.3) and 112th in scoring (22.3)
The transfer portal opened Monday which likely has accelerated the need to find an offensive coordinator. Moore said Michigan would like to find a quarterback in the portal, but quarterbacks tend to want to know who is coordinating the offense.
“You’ve gotta have urgency in everything you do, so I always have that urgency all the time in whatever I’m doing,” Moore said when asked if the portal opening quickened the hiring process. “We want to make sure we found the right fit, the right person that not only scheme-wise, football-wise, development-wise, but also had a love for this place that when they walked into this building you could feel the love I have injected in them. I want that type of person to lead our offense. I think we’re in that place.”
Michigan began practice this week for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama on New Year’s Eve in Tampa, and Moore had said tight ends coach Steve Casula, currently filling in as offensive coordinator, will call the plays in the bowl.
Moore said he and his staff plan to add a quarterback from the transfer portal.
“Yeah, I mean, we’re going to,” Moore said. “There’s a lot of positions that we’re going to add depth and add spots to help fill. So, the specifics of that, I guess you guys will have to see, but we’re definitely looking for a quarterback in the portal and we’ll go from there.”
Michigan would like to add a veteran quarterback to the roster.
“Experience, a guy that’s going to be a great leader, great teammate, obviously have the ability to play and yeah, got to be a great fit,” Moore said when asked what kind of quarterback he’s looking for.
Davis Warren, who made eight starts this season, has been in practice this week, Moore said, and they’ve had ongoing conversations about his fifth season. Alex Orji, who made three starts this season, also could return, as well as Jadyn Davis, a freshman this season.
“He’s ready to go for the bowl, so we’ll just go from there,” Moore said of Warren.
Moore said Warren is aware Michigan will be looking for a quarterback in the portal.
“Very transparent with all our guys,” Moore said. “I don’t ever say one thing and one day the other, so he’s aware of it and he’s OK with it and we’ve talked about it, so he’s very aware of it.”
Quarterback Chase Herbstreit, the son of former Ohio State quarterback and current ESPN college football broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit, became the 23rd member of Michigan’s 2025 when he announced his commitment last Sunday.
He is the second quarterback in the class along with Underwood. Herbstreit had 26 touchdowns his final season with St. Xavier in Cincinnati.
“Chase is a guy we’ve had our eye on for a while,” Moore said. “Had a really good career at St. X, and obviously know Kirk pretty well but more had to do with Chase and his abilities and what he can do to help us as a team down the line. Just a relationship we’ve developed with him and feel like he’ll help us in some way on the team.”
Moore was asked about his interactions with Kirk Herbstreit during the recruitment.
“You always interact with the parents,” Moore said, adding his interaction with Herbstreit was “pretty much as I would with any parent.”
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