THE FLATS – Chip Long, who was rated as one of college football’s top offensive coordinators while leading high-powered offenses at Memphis and Notre Dame from 2016-19, has been hired as Georgia Tech football’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, head coach Geoff Collins announced on Sunday.
A 16-year Division I coaching veteran, including 14 at the major-conference level, Long has helped lead teams to 13 bowl games over the past 16 seasons. He has five years of experience as offensive coordinator, including ultra-successful stints at Memphis (2016) and Notre Dame (2017-19).
Among all currently active offensive coordinators, Long was the sixth-highest-rated OC in the nation during his four-year stint with Memphis and ND, according to analytics produced by SportsSource Analytics/Coaches By The Numbers. Among current offensive coordinators, Long is one of only six OCs to receive a five-star rating from Coaches By The Numbers from 2016-19, joining Oklahoma co-coordinators Bill Bedenbaugh and Cale Gundy, Ohio State’s Kevin Wilson, Clemson’s Tony Elliott and Penn State’s Mike Yurcich.
“I’m excited to welcome Chip, his wife, Kari, and his daughters, Lyla and Alyson, to the Georgia Tech football family,” Collins said. “He has directed some of the nation’s top offenses during his time at Memphis and Notre Dame, has an outstanding record of developing players to reach their highest potential and has the proven ability to put his offenses in the best position to play winning football. Chip’s proven ability as an offensive coordinator is going to be a great fit for the talented players that we have on our roster.”
During his three seasons at Notre Dame, Long directed nationally ranked offenses while helping the Fighting Irish rebound from a 4-8 campaign in 2016 to go 32-6 over his three seasons with the team, including a berth in the 2018 College Football Playoff. In Long’s first season at Notre Dame (2017), the Fighting Irish set school records for rushing offense (3,503 yards – No. 7 nationally) and yards per carry (6.3 avg. – No. 3 nationally), while also ranking among the nation’s leaders in scoring offense (No. 24 – 34.2 ppg) and relative scoring offense (No. 10 – 142.8%).
In his second season at ND, Long helped develop quarterback Ian Book from a backup into one of the nation’s top signal-callers. With Long directing the Fighting Irish’s offense, Book became the first Notre Dame quarterback to ever win the first nine starts of his career, set a school record with a 68.2 completion percentage, and was a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award (nation’s top player) and Davey O’Brien Award (nation’s top quarterback) and a finalist for the Manning Award (nation’s top quarterback). Notre Dame posted an undefeated regular season and earned its first CFP berth, and Long was named one of five finalists for the 2018 Broyles Award (nation’s top assistant coach).
The Irish once again had one of college football’s best offenses in 2019, as it ranked among the nation’s leaders in scoring offense (No. 13 – 36.8 ppg), plays per point (No. 11 – 1.86 ppp) and points per possession (No. 18 – 2.38 ppp). They also had the nation’s fifth-fewest turnovers (.85) and 12-fewest sacks allowed (1.23) per game.
Prior to earning the role at Notre Dame, Long’s first season as an offensive coordinator was at Memphis in 2016, where he directed an offense that ranked among the top 20 nationally in scoring (No. 15 – 38.8 ppg), passing (No. 14 – 304.4 ypg), passing efficiency (No. 17 – 152.53) and completion percentage (No. 17 – 63.5%).
Most recently, Long served as the offensive coordinator at Tulane in 2021. Despite the challenges caused by being displaced from campus for nearly a month due to Hurricane Ida, Tulane gained 396 yards in a 40-35 season-opening loss to No. 2 Oklahoma, which was the most yards that OU allowed to a non-conference opponent this season, and more than it surrendered against a pair of Big 12 opponents, including regular-season conference champion Oklahoma State. The Green Wave closed the season with 501 and 452 yards, respectively, in a win over USF and a narrow loss to Memphis.
In addition to his five seasons as an offensive coordinator, Long’s coaching career also includes stints at Louisville (2006-07 – graduate assistant), Arkansas (2008-09 – graduate assistant), Illinois (2010-11 – tight ends), Arizona State (2012-13 – tight ends/recruiting coordinator; 2014-15 – tight ends/special teams/recruiting coordinator) and Tennessee (2020 – offensive analyst). As recruiting coordinator at Arizona State, he was named one of the nation’s top recruiters by both Rivals and 247Sports in 2015. The Sun Devils also averaged 37 points per game, had two 10-win seasons, won the 2013 Pac-12 South Division championship and appeared in four bowl games during his four seasons at ASU.
“I’m honored to be the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech,” Long said. “I’m unbelievably excited about the wealth of talent, experience and potential that we have on the offensive side of the ball. We have the pieces in place to field a dynamic offense, score a lot of points and develop players for success both at Tech and beyond. I can’t wait to get started on The Flats.”
A Birmingham, Ala. native, Long played tight end and wide receiver at the University of North Alabama from 2002-05. He earned first-team NCAA Division II all-America honors as a senior in 2005 and graduated from UNA with a bachelor’s degree in history with psychology and business administration minors. In 2010, he was named to the Gulf South Conference all-decade team as a tight end.
Long and his wife, Kari, have two daughters: Lyla and Alyson.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT CHIP LONG
“I have known and worked with Chip since he began his coaching career. He is a creative offensive mind who also has a strong focus on the fundamentals of the game. He knows how to attack a defense and will be aggressive in his approach.”
– Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm
“Georgia Tech football has made a great choice in adding Chip Long to its staff. In addition to being one of the most creative offensive minds in college football, Chip is a fierce competitor and great recruiter.”
– Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick
THE CHIP LONG FILE
Personal
Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.
Family: Wife: Kari; Children: Lyla and Alyson
Alma Mater: North Alabama, 2005
Playing Experience
2002-05: North Alabama (TE/WR)
Coaching Experience
2006-07: Louisville (graduate assistant)
2008-09: Arkansas (graduate assistant)
2010-11: Illinois (tight ends)
2012-13: Arizona State (tight ends/recruiting coordinator)
2014-15: Arizona State (tight ends/special teams/recruiting coordinator)
2016: Memphis (offensive coordinator)
2017-19: Notre Dame (offensive coordinator)
2020: Tennessee (offensive analyst)
2021: Tulane (offensive coordinator)
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GTAthletics), Facebook, Instagram or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
