One of the most charismatic, experienced, and successful coaches in college football, Mack Brown leads the North Carolina Tar Heels into the 2023 season. Who else makes up the North Carolina coaching staff as they aim for another assault on the ACC?
North Carolina Tar Heels Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Mack Brown
There are few active coaches in college football that can match the résumé of North Carolina head coach Mack Brown. In his 33 seasons spanning three programs, he’s compiled a 268-139-1 record. Furthermore, Brown’s laundry list of conference and divisional titles props up a 2005 BCS National Championship win that is the crowning glory of his CFB coaching conquests.
Brown began his second stint on the North Carolina coaching staff in 2019, returning to Chapel Hill after a more than 20-year absence. During his first spell with the Tar Heels, he led them to three double-digit win seasons with a 3-2 bowl record that included a 1992 Peach Bowl triumph. In his fourth season back, he took the Tar Heels to the ACC Championship Game.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator (With Trades)
Despite his recent success with UNC, the height of Brown’s coaching glory came in a 16-year spell with the Texas Longhorns. Establishing the program as a national superpower in the early 2000s, Brown’s Texas teams registered nine consecutive 10+ win seasons, were a consistent presence in the top 10, and went undefeated on their way to the 2005 Rose Bowl victory.
A former running back at Vanderbilt and FSU, Brown began his coaching career with the Seminoles as a student in 1973. His first HC role came with Tulane in 1985, after working his way up through Southern Miss, Memphis State, Iowa State, LSU, Appalachian State, and Oklahoma. Brown is a three-time conference and two-time national coach of the year.
Defensive Coordinator, Gene Chizik
Brown isn’t the only national title-winning coach on North Carolina’s coaching staff. Gene Chizik famously led the Auburn Tigers to an undefeated season and BCS National Championship with Cam Newton as his quarterback in 2010. He was also on the 2005 Texas staff as the defensive coordinator.
Like Brown, Chizik is in his second stint with the Tar Heels. He was named the defensive coordinator in 2015 but resigned just two years later. After his departure from the program, he returned to work as an analyst with the SEC Network — a role that he held in 2014 following his release from Auburn.
Despite spending several years away from coaching, Chizik was re-hired by UNC ahead of the 2022 college football season. Although his title is officially “Assistant Head Coach for Defense” he is essentially the defensive coordinator which was the first role he held as a coach at Seminole High School. Chizik’s full college coaching résumé can be found below.
- Clemson (graduate assistant, LBs coach, 1988-1989)
- Middle Tennessee State (DEs coach, 1990-1991)
- Stephen F. Austin (DC, LBs coach, secondary coach, 1992-1997)
- UCF (DC, secondary coach, 1998-2001)
- Auburn (DC, DBs coach, 2002-2004)
- Texas (DC, LBs coach, 2005-2006)
- Iowa State (HC, 2007-2008)
- Auburn (HC, 2009-2012)
- North Carolina (DC, 2015-2016; assistant HC for defense, 2022-2023)
Offensive Coordinator, Chip Lindsey
Viewed as an offensive innovator who has propelled high school and college quarterbacks to astonishing production, Chip Lindsey joined North Carolina’s staff in December 2022. He arrives in Chapel Hill following a single season with UCF, where his unit finished 11th in total offense and John Rhys Plumlee emerged as a dangerous dual threat for the Knights.
In addition to his role as offensive coordinator for the Tar Heels, Lindsey will serve as quarterbacks coach for ascending college superstar Drake Maye. Other successful college quarterbacks on his résumé include Jarrett Stidham, Nick Mullens, and Kaleb Barker. Lindsey’s offenses have also propelled multiple running backs to college football stardom — including Kalen Ballage.
MORE: 2023 ACC Weekly Football Schedule
After finding incredible success at the high school level in Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia, Lindsey got his first college coaching role at Troy in 2010. He returned to the high school level for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, before resuming his college career at Auburn as an offensive analyst in 2013. His full college coaching résumé can be found below.
- Troy (QBs coach, 2010)
- Auburn (offensive analyst, 2013)
- Southern Miss (OC, 2014-2015)
- Arizona State (OC, QBs coach, 2016)
- Auburn (OC, QBs coach, 2017-2018)
- Troy (HC, 2019-2021)
- UCF (OC, QBs coach, 2022)
- North Carolina (OC, QBs coach, 2023)
Special Teams Coordinator, Larry Porter
Another figure on the North Carolina coaching staff who is in their second stint on Chapel Hill, Larry Porter originally served as the running backs coach for the Tar Heels between 2014 and 2016. He reprised that role in 2021, adding special teams coordinator responsibility in 2022. Porter was previously responsible for special teams at Auburn between 2018 and 2020.
Wide Receivers Coach, Lonnie Galloway
In addition to his role as wide receivers coach at North Carolina, Lonnie Galloway serves as the passing game coordinator and assistant head coach. Galloway has been an elite producer of WR talent during stops at ECU, West Virginia, Appalachian State, Wake Forest, and Louisville. He began his coaching career with QBs and WRs at Elon from 1996-2002.
Inside Linebackers Coach, Tommy Thigpen
Working alongside Chizik, Tommy Thigpen serves as the co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the Tar Heels. He joined the North Carolina coaching staff for the third time in 2018, having got his coaching start at Chapel Hill as a graduate assistant in 1998. He also coached linebackers from 2005-2008. Thigpen was a three-time All-ACC LB for the program.
Defensive Backs Coach, Charlton Warren
Heading into the second season of his second stint on the North Carolina coaching staff, Charlton Warren works alongside Thigpen as a co-defensive coordinator while coaching the Tar Heels’ defensive backs. After spending his playing career at Air Force, he joined the Falcons as a DBs coach in 2005, leaving in 2013 having worked his way up to DC and assistant HC.
Offensive Line Coach, Randy Clements
A new addition to North Carolina’s staff for the 2023 season, Randy Clements will coach the Tar Heels’ offensive line. After starting his career as the OL coach at Stephen F. Austin, Clements has coached linemen at Houston, Baylor, Southeastern, FSU, Ole Miss, and North Texas. His 2022 Mean Green offensive line paved the way for a top-25 offense in multiple metrics.
Defensive Line Coach, Tim Cross
Since joining the North Carolina coaching staff in 2018, Tim Cross has coached multiple Tar Heels defensive linemen to All-ACC accolades. A former linebacker himself, his defensive influence has helped shaped several programs, including Air Force, Minnesota, Syracuse, and Texas — where he served his first college role as a strength and conditioning coach.
Cornerbacks Coach, Jason Jones
A former defensive coordinator at Ole Miss, Jason Jones joins the North Carolina staff for the 2023 campaign having worked with the safeties at Indiana for the past three seasons. A former DB with an SEC Championship ring from Alabama, Jones has worked with cornerbacks at Tulsa, Rice, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, and FAU since getting his coaching break as an assistant at Alabama.
Tight Ends Coach, Freddie Kitchens
Most well-known for his NFL coaching experience, which includes spending the 2019 season as the Cleveland Browns head coach, Freddie Kitchens joins the North Carolina coaching staff for the 2023 season. In addition to his role as tight ends coach, Kitchens will serve as the run game coordinator for the Tar Heels. He arrives in Chapel Hill after spending 2022 with South Carolina.
