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Source: Arizona St. OC Chip Lindsey staying put, won't leave for Southern Miss job
Arizona State offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey — who left Southern Miss this offseason after helping the program set several offensive records and was seen as a strong candidate to become the Golden Eagles' new coach — will remain with the Sun Devils, a source told FOX Sports on Tuesday morning.
The 40-year-old Lindsey is very excited about his situation with ASU, according to the source. Lindsey had turned down head coaching opportunities at Eastern Kentucky and Louisiana-Monroe earlier this winter.
Southern Miss is scrambling to find a new head coach in the wake of Todd Monken's departure. Monken left after leading Southern Miss to a 9-5 season Sunday to become the new offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Bucs. The Golden Eagles were just 1-11 in his debut season in 2013. They were 0-12 under Ellis Johnson the season before Monken took over.
Athletic director Bill McGillis said he expects to have his new coach hired by the end of this week.
Word is the AD would like to hire a coach with a strong offensive background and Lindsey fit that bill. Some of that stems from the fact that Southern Miss had lots of success under offensive guys like Larry Fedora and Monken, and struggled mightily under Ellis Johnson. But McGillis also would like someone with ties to the program. David Duggan, Southern Miss' defensive coordinator, also is expected to get consideration for the vacancy, according to another source.
Other potential candidates who could be in the mix:
• Tyrone Nix, who was a former Golden Eagles linebacker and team captain and is now the defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee. The 43-year-old Nix spent a decade as a Southern Miss assistant.
• Ole Miss co-OC Matt Luke, a native of nearby Gulfport. A protege of David Cutcliffe and Hugh Freeze, Luke is highly regarded in coaching circles and has proved to be one of the nation's top O-line coaches, helping the Rebels become an SEC powerhouse.
• TCU offensive coordinator Doug Meacham. A potential wild card candidate, Meacham has turned down some other opportunities but might be willing to listen to this one. The 51-year-old Texas native has helped the Horned Frogs produce consecutive top-five offenses after they ranked 106th the year before he showed up.
• West Georgia head coach Will Hall. The 35-year-old native of Amory, Mississippi, was a former star quarterback at North Alabama who won the Harlon Hill Trophy. He is 24-5 in two seasons at D2 West Georgia and 49-16 in five seasons as a head coach. He led West Alabama to its first conference title before going to West Georgia.
