COLUMBIA — Missouri football head coach Eli Drinkwitz has his new right-hand man, and it’s easy to see why he picked him. 

First-year Missouri offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey was hired in the role Dec. 21, 2025, replacing former OC and now-head coach at Washington State, Kirby Moore. Although this season is the first of a near-30-year coaching career he’s spent with Missouri, Lindsey’s had his eye on the program for over a decade — even when his Auburn Tigers smoked Missouri 59-42 in the 2013 Southeastern Conference Championship. 

“I've always admired this place from afar,” Lindsey said. “Even way back in ‘13 and in the SEC championship. That's kind of where I remember it first started… A lot of great players that have come from this program, and then what Coach Drink’s done here has been amazing, just getting this place back rolling and extremely competitive.” 

He’s here now, and he’s ready to work. 

The workload and responsibilities that the offensive coordinator and a head coach share are split differently at every stop. In the case of Missouri, Drinkwitz is an offensive-minded head coach and has plenty of input into the offense. 

So where does Lindsey fit in the mix? Does he clash with Drinkwitz? Are they eerily similar? 

Lindsey thinks his philosophies are a stellar fit with Drinkwitz. Some of those philosophies align with what Missouri has done in previous seasons, while others align exactly with what Missouri needs to improve on — the pairing of the two offensive minds makes sense.

“I think they align very well,” Lindsey said. “We want to be fast and physical. We want to make sure that we take care of the football, create explosive plays. The formula to winning, if you look at the best teams in the country, is that: create explosives, be really good in situational football — which is third downs and red zone — don't turn the ball over. And if you can do those things and do them consistently, then you give yourselves opportunities to win.” 

When looking at Missouri’s third-down offense in 2025, it’s far from pretty. The Tigers finished No. 4 in the conference by converting 44.9% of its third-down attempts, but converted just 25.76% of third-downs against FBS opponents with a winning record, good enough for worst in the SEC. 

Lindsey and Michigan converted 38.5% of third-downs against FBS opponents with a winning record, not an amazing number, but certainly an improvement over the abysmal Tiger count. 

What’s rang true about Missouri’s drop-off against winning opponents with third-down conversions holds true in regards to its explosive play count. The Tigers completed 59 plays of 20 or more yards in 2025, good enough for No. 8 in the SEC. But just 19 of those plays were against FBS opponents with a winning record, the third-lowest amount in the conference. 

Lindsey’s 2023 Tarheels completed 35 plays for 20 or more yards against winning FBS opponents, while his 2024 Tarheels completed 31 plays of such and 2025 Wolverines racked up 38 plays.

Plenty of the explosive potential in the offense relies on the quarterback and the scheme, but a solid chunk of it relies on the play-finishers — receivers, tight ends and running backs. 

“I'm looking for guys that can make contested catches,” Lindsey said. “Because in this league, you're going to have to do that. That was an emphasis of us, to really try to throw the ball down the field and see who can go make plays.” 

So who is Lindsey looking toward to ignite the explosions in his offense?

The first person to come to mind is returning wideout Donovan Olugbode, who racked up 30 catches, 401 yards and two touchdowns in his 2025 freshman campaign. He won plenty of 50-50 balls and logged a reception of 20 or more yards in five of his eight conference games. 

“Chip is great,” Olugbode said. “He kind of brings a new juice to the offense, a new flow. But overall, is a good coach and a good person. I like him a lot.” 

As for the run game, Lindsey brings decades of experience that not every OC can offer, developing NFL talent and high-producing rushing attacks at multiple stops. 

Putting an emphasis on the run-game is a philosophy the new assistant shares with Drinkwitz — take a look at some of the 1,000-yard rushers he’s coached at the collegiate level: 

Lindsey elevates rushing offenses when given NFL-caliber tailbacks to work with, which is exactly what he’ll have at Missouri. Lindsey, Drinkwitz and running backs coach Curtis Luper should have no problem keeping the rushing attack amongst the best in the nation. 

“I think it goes back to identifying your best players,” Lindsey said. “Who are the five guys that we have to get the ball to? Obviously our running backs are probably gonna be in that mix…  had a lot of success running the football here last year and we want to be able to do that no matter what. If you can run the ball, then you can get opportunities down the field.”

Identifying Missouri’s best player isn’t a hard task — look no further than the Doak Walker Finalist who rushed for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, Ahmad Hardy. 

“He had a great season here last year,” Lindsey said. “Just watching him, he attacks the line of scrimmage, he plays really well with his eyes. He's able to understand, I think, fronts and the scheme that we're running, whether it's outside zone, inside zone or a gap scheme plays very physically, likes to get downhill.” 

Joining Hardy in the backfield is returning tailback Jamal Roberts, who tallied 753 yards and six touchdowns last season. Lindsey has experience in operating double-headed backfields, as he did with Smith and Richard at Southern Miss along with Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall at Michigan. 

Lindsey has seen success in quarterback development in recent seasons, having coached now-NFL MVP candidate Drake Maye during the pairs’ stint at UNC and Jarrett Stidham at Auburn to name a few. 

He’ll have plenty of talent to work with at Missouri, ranging from four-star transfer Austin Simmons, former four-star starter and rising sophomore Matt Zollers, veteran backup Nick Evers and incoming three-star freshman Gavin Sidwar. 

Lindsey and Drinkwitz will be holding a competition for the starting gig. 

“They all want to go out and give themselves the best opportunity they can be to win the job,” Lindsey said. “I think that's what you want. Every room, you need a competitive room where you can make each other better. And I think these guys are going to help each other tremendously.” 

Simmons sticks out the most among the pack as a four-star transfer and projected starter for the 2026 roster. The left signal-caller threw for 744 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions in 2025 with Ole Miss but is now slotted for a bounce-back season under Lindsay and Drinkwitz at Missouri.