3 reasons to like Chip Lindsey as Michigan football offensive coordinator

It's been about 24 hours since the hire of Chip Lindsey to be the new Michigan football offensive coordinator and the hire has continued to grow on me.

Lindsey isn't Dan Mullen or another big-name hire, but big-name hires don't always work out. Michigan football fans changed their tune at the end of the season, especially after a second-half shutout of Ohio State, but plenty were ready to jettison Wink Martindale as the defensive coordinator.

Jason Candle, the Toledo head coach, seemed like another serious candidate, but Lindsey makes a lot of sense. He's got the experience and the pedigree that Sherrone Moore was looking for and here are three reasons to like this hire.

This isn't just about Bryce Underwood

This hire was about QB development and we'll get to that in just a second but Michigan is all about the "smash" mentality too. That's what has won the Wolverines four games in a row over Ohio State. It also won Michigan a national championship.

Under Lindsey, Omarion Hampton has put together back-to-back seasons of more than 1,500 rushing yards, and this season, the Tar Heels did it with backup quarterback Jacolby Criswell.

Criswell had 58 pass attempts before this season but threw 15 touchdowns and for 2,452 yards. He also had six interceptions.

Still, the running game didn't skip a beat. Despite Hampton being the focal point for defenses, he still found success. At UCF in 2022, the Knights averaged 228 rushing yards per game. They didn't have a 1,000-yard rusher but had three over 750 yards.

Lindsey also coached Kerryon Johnson to SEC Offensive Player of the Year at Auburn back in 2017. So as much as Lindsey knows about quarterbacks -- he's an offensive coordinator who can develop Bryce Underwood -- I do not doubt that the "smash" mentality will remain.

That was a key part of this hire and can't be overlooked.