In search for UNC's new offensive coordinator, Brown consults QB Maye for advice, approval

By Brian Murphy, WRAL sports reporter

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye took on a new responsibility between the end of the regular season and the Tar Heels' bowl game: coaching search advisor.

UNC head coach Mack Brown said he asked for Maye's input as he interviewed candidates to replace Phil Longo, who left for Wisconsin. With Maye's approval, Brown hired former Central Florida offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey last week.

"Drake and I had strong conversations before we moved forward with this because the better Drake is, the better we are," Brown said Monday during a press conference to introduce Lindsey and new offensive line coach Randy Clements. "Drake didn't hire him, but he sure approved him and that was very, very important to me as we were moving forward."

Maye, who finished 10th in Heisman voting after winning ACC player of the year honors, will enter his third year in Chapel Hill in 2023. He is expected to be a first-round NFL Draft pick. Part of a long line of Tar Heels, Maye was offered "a lot of money" to transfer to other schools, Brown said. He would not divulge which schools offered Maye money.

That loyalty, Brown said, pushed him to include Maye in the process.

"He could have very well left," Brown said. "So I promised him that I would get him a great teacher."

Maye did a video chat with Lindsey. And then each reported back to Brown about their conversation. Lindsey said the opportunity to work with Maye "was a huge selling point" in coming to North Carolina. He said Maye asked good, specific questions about his background and players that he has coached.

Brown said Maye's feedback was critical.

"If Drake had said, 'Coach, I trust you, man. I know you're going to hire who's best. I don't know. I didn't feel as comfortable.' Then I probably wouldn't have hired (Lindsey)," Brown said.

Brown said Maye expressed a deeper appreciation for all of factors that go into hiring and into a head coach's job after being a part of the process. As UNC preps for its Holiday Bowl game against Oregon on Dec. 30, Brown has been trying to fill his coaching staff, recruit high school players ahead of Wednesday's signing day, recruit college players from the transfer portal and work with UNC players who are entering the portal or declaring for the NFL Draft.

"You got a hard job, man," Brown said Maye told him.

"You got a hard job, too. So we're trying to make yours easier," the coach told his quarterback.

Brown said he was not looking for someone to overhaul the Tar Heels' offense, but instead to improve the running game, especially in the red zone. He said UNC got "soft" and became too dependent on Maye and a talented crop of wide receivers, including All-ACC pick Josh Downs.

In picking Lindsey and Clements, who was the offensive line coach at North Texas last season, Brown is hoping he found coaches who can marry what the Tar Heels have done well with a strong, consistent running game.

UNC ranked 64th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards per game in 2022 with 156.4. The Tar Heels often broke big runs but did not sustain a ground attack. Maye was the team's leading rusher.

"I didn't want somebody coming in with their system. I want this system to get better," Brown said.

Working with Brown, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame who won a national title at Texas, was also part of the appeal for Lindsey, who went 15-19 as the head coach at Troy from 2019 to 2021. A former wide receiver at North Alabama, Lindsey began his coaching career with the Air Raid offense in high schools. He said he's incorporated different aspects from each of his stops, including working under Todd Monken and Gus Malzahn.

"We're gonna build North Carolina's offense, and those are things from all over," Lindsey said. "We'll take the best of all those experiences that I've had and even my own and build our offense here at North Carolina."

Lindsey and Clements have been friends for a while, but have never worked together until now. Clements, who wore a "Run the damn ball" hat during his Zoom interview with Brown, previously coached at Baylor. His Bears rushed for 645 yards in a bowl victory over North Carolina in 2015. That UNC team was coached by Gene Chizik, who is now the Tar Heels' defensive coordinator.

"I probably won't bring it up much around the office," said Clements, who still has a game ball from the victory.