UNC head coach Mack Brown had plenty to say in his first press conference since the ACC Championship Game. He spoke about Carolina’s upcoming bowl game, issues with the transfer portal and abuses of NIL, but took much of his time to introduce his two newest assistants: offensive line coach Randy Clements and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. Clements most recently coached at North Texas and has a 35-year career. Lindsey spent 2022 at UCF and has coached for 26 years, including a three-year stint as head coach at Troy.
Brown said he sought out coaches during the hiring process who would merely tweak the offense, not give it a complete facelift. He said his list of priorities included better red-zone efficiency, fewer tackles for loss and taking pressure off his star quarterback.
“I thought we got too dependent on Drake [Maye] this year, because he was so good,” Brown said. “And our skill was so good that we could beat most people just by throwing up and down the field. To win championships, you’ve got to run the ball and you’ve got to stop the run. And until we can do those two things, we’re not going to win any more games.”
And when Brown first met Clements for his interview, the O-line coach’s particular choice of attire was exactly what he was looking for.
“When I coached against Randy [at Baylor] before, they could run the football,” Brown said. “And that’s what he wants to do. He started out the interview by saying, ‘Run the damn ball.’ He had a hat that all the linemen wore that said, ‘Run the damn ball.’ He had a t-shirt on that said, ‘Run the damn ball.’ So I said, ‘I got it, man. I’m in!’”
Clements’ enthusiasm for running the ball is no doubt a reason he signed on. But Clements also spoke highly of his relationship with Lindsey. Though the two have not been on the same coaching staff until now, Clements said that didn’t stop the pair from becoming friends.
“We were close on working together at different times,” Clements said. “It just didn’t work out for whatever reason. But we always kept up with each other. We always would be at clinics together. Or we’d chop it up and talk ball over a couple of beers or something like that. It was just always an ongoing thing. We always said, ‘Man, I hope we get the chance to work together at some point.’ And here it is.”
Lindsey’s hiring process didn’t just involve speaking to the head coach. Brown said Lindsey needed the approval of Maye, who the Hall of Famer alleged turned down multiple offers to transfer away.
“Drake got offered a lot of money to go to different schools,” Brown said. “It’s tampering. It’s 100 percent tampering. But he decided to stay. So for the first time in my career, I had him talk to a couple of the candidates I was talking to. Because it was important for me not that he hire, but I wanted his opinion before they got here. Because he decided to stay, and he could have very well left. Most people would’ve left.”
Lindsey, who coached two quarterbacks currently in the NFL, said he enjoyed his conversations with Maye during the hiring process.
“Drake and I got to spend a lot of time together on FaceTime, which almost feels like you’re sitting right next to the guy,” Lindsey said. “That was a lot of fun. He asked some really good questions. You can tell football’s important to him. He asked me specific questions about things I’ve done and people I’ve coached and so forth, and I got to do the same with him. So, that was a unique and really special opportunity.”
For now at least, Lindsey and Clements will be merely observers for Carolina’s bowl game with Oregon next week. Wide receivers coach and newly-minted passing game coordinator Lonnie Galloway will call plays against the Ducks. But both Lindsey and Clements have been spending time with the team since being hired, and they will begin work on the spring season almost immediately after the bowl game ends.
For the Tar Heels, 2023 has already begun.
Featured image via Inside Carolina
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