How Chip Lindsey set Bryce Underwood and the next regime up for success

After a week of nonsense, let’s get back to talking ball!

The Michigan Wolverines became a modernized offense this season. Going from Kirk Campbell to Chip Lindsey as the primary play-caller was like going from an 11-year-old hopped up on War Heads with a handheld camera to Jordan Peele. A schematic intent and professionalism were reinstalled within the attack and despite playing an overwhelming number of young players, the unit was more dynamic and productive in virtually every area. To avoid reading like a spreadsheet, we’ll just highlight the two most important improvements — points and yards.

2024 scoring offense: 22 points per game (No. 113) — 2025 scoring offense: 27 points per game (No. 72)

2024 total offense: 286.2 yards per game (No. 129) — 2025 total offense: 398.9 yards per game (No. 57)

Lindsey helped a true freshman quarterback adapt to the college game and take significant strides despite a former head coach prioritizing…other areas above his quarterback’s development. In what will ultimately prove a thankless job — I have a better chance of being hired as the next offensive coordinator than Lindsey does at being retained — let’s take a look at how a couple of Lindsey’s favorite concepts set up Bryce Underwood for future success, presuming the sophomore, sigh, is still wearing maize and blue next season.

RPOs

We used to pray for times like these. Understanding that Underwood ran an RPO-heavy scheme in high school, Lindsey kept the run-pass option as a core tenet of Michigan’s offense. Lindsey incorporated RPO reads in a myriad of ways in 2025, but by far the most popular was the inside zone + slant route out of a 3×1 formation — the foundational play of any RPO package, and one Underwood could execute in his sleep.

Against Wisconsin, Underwood showed veteran poise not rushing the read while the corner blitzed from the boundary. Calmly, Underwood read the linebacker, felt the pressure, and delivered a strike to wide receiver Donaven McCulley who did the rest.

Similarly against Washington, pre-snap, Underwood sees no linebacker or safety in the window and correctly chooses the passing option. As he sets his feet, he waits to see if his receiver can gain inside leverage (if McCulley cannot, he will turn this route into a fade) and if a linebacker (who is two gaps over heavily anticipating run) is going to shrink the window. 

McCulley is able to win inside, the linebacker never crosses the center, and Underwood makes one of the cleanest and easiest throws of the season.

The next step in Underwood’s RPO game will be incorporating more options within the play. Instead of deciding between run or pass, the decision will be either give the ball to the running back, throw the ball to one of three or four pass catchers, or take off and run. Here is a more complex RPO from a former head coach at Washington.

Utilizing 12-personnel, which is easy to envision with Underwood and this offense, this is a zone-read RPO with the quarterback reading the defensive end. If the near-side defensive end drops or stays home, the read is to give to the running back. If he crashes, like he does here, then the quarterback has to make a quick decision. 

The passing read here is designed from top to bottom. The outside receiver running the post is No. 1, the tight end wheel is No. 2, and the tight end (coming across the formation) arrow route is No. 3. Against Cover 3, the wheel route draws the flat defender and the quarterback is able to make a quick strike to his primary option. 

Or this successful RPO against Michigan in the National Championship, which sold a gap-scheme counter play with a backside Smash concept. A Smash concept working against the trio of Will Johnson, Mike Sainristil and Rod Moore. The quarterback sees the spacing pre-snap and knows the throw is there. There’s a fine line between predetermining RPOs and pre-snap reads, and this is a perfect example of a veteran executing the latter.

Lindsey gave Underwood a solid undergraduate course load running RPOs. The next offensive coordinator or head coach will begin the graduate-level schematics. It could look something like this. But RPOs are only one aspect of Underwood’s continued development.

Screens

Screens are a key component of any modern college offense because they invert defensive responsibilities to a degree. Screens help tire out defenders by forcing linemen to run and chase laterally and forcing defensive backs to defeat blocks and make tackles. Not to mention, they are designed to take advantage of a lack of discipline and over-aggression, two weaknesses that permeate most college defenses.

Michigan ran a variety of screens in 2025, from flares to swings to simple spot passes. But two of the more complex screens utilized were the middle screen and the double screen. The middle screen was executed flawlessly against Washington. Underwood drifts and drifts and drifts, and Marsh patiently sets up his blocks to create the appropriate spacing for this play. The chemistry between the freshman quarterback and freshman receiver on this play was special, as both understood how to play fast without rushing/ruining the play design.

Against Maryland, at first glance, it appeared Lindsey and Underwood returned to a similar screen to McCulley. But upon a closer look, Lindsey brilliantly added a second screen to the bottom of the formation with running back Bryson Kuzdzal. In fact, Underwood makes the “incorrect” read, but because he is decisive — and because McCulley is dangerous in space and Maryland sucks — the Wolverines are still able to reach the end zone. But my goodness, look at the space available to Kuzdzal at the bottom of the formation after the nickel pressure vacates the zone.

Perhaps one of the preeminent purveyors of the middle screen is once again that former coach from the Pacific Northwest. Not a one-to-one in terms of structure to the Marsh screen, but you can easily see the similarities between the McCulley side of the double screen and this one below. 

One area Underwood will need to continue to improve — and will with time — is making these screens look just like any other play. Similar to running successful play-action, a good screen is deceptive. Michigan incorporated classic West Coast staples, such as Mesh routes, to simulate a screen and add layering to its attack. And as Underwood gets more comfortable, these will look harder to differentiate for opposing defenses.

One nuance Michigan could incorporate next season is this one from Alabama earlier this season. It’s a similar concept to the one the Wolverines ran, except the No. 2 receiver in the 3×1 formation is the lowest level crosser and the primary option. Michigan has been targeting the one in the 3×1 for the better part of a decade and this wrinkle could reap big rewards for Underwood and this offense.

With more reps and experience, the entire young offense (“Those who stay”) will also better understand spacing. More keen spatial awareness will allow them to add these intricacies to each screen and pass play. Like this one against Oregon in early 2023. The entire play reads like a run into the boundary from the motion to the first two steps of the offensive line, but in actuality it sets up an easy throw, in rhythm, to a playmaker hitting his stride in space.

Now, if this is sounding like I am making a not-so-subtle pitch for current Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, it’s because I am. Lindsey has done a fantastic job establishing the foundation for Underwood’s development and setting him up for future success. Now, it’s time for DeBoer to accelerate his growth and electrify this offense.

For those afraid that DeBoer doesn’t run the ball enough to fit the Michigan identity, that’s a fair concern. But if/when he takes the job, I will have an entire film study dedicated to how his offenses only operate at their full potential with a strong running game and how his diverse rushing packages perfectly align with what Michigan installed in 2025. I assure you, no one wants to run the damn ball more than I do.

An excellent film study from the SB Nation Alabama website described DeBoer’s offense as “The soul of a Chevelle in the body of a Veyron.” And isn’t that exactly what we want a modern Michigan offense to be?