Chad Lunsford - Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator and Tight Ends - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Chad Lunsford

Title:
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator and Tight Ends

At Florida Atlantic

Named Interim Hagerty Family Head Football Coach in November of 2024
Joined the Owls in February of 2022 with three full seasons of head coaching experience under his belt
Began working with a group of tight ends that had no starts at the collegiate level, but had been key contributors on special teams
Used three different starters to lead a group that contributed size for a line that cleared space for the program's first 1,000 yard rusher in three seasons as well as contributing to the pass protection and gathering 13 receptions
On special teams, mentored a group that were also new to starting nods as well as an Australian punter, who not only played his first season of American football but earned Freshman All-American recognition
Kicker Morgan Suarez was ranked among the nation's leaders in field goal percentage, field goals per game, and points responsible for, while punter Riley Thompson ended his season providing every punt for an average of 45.4 yards, ranking second among all CUSA punters and No. 12 nationally for that average
As units, the Owls were No. 14 in kickoff return defense and No. 21 in net punting
In January of 2023, elevated to associate head coach/special teams coordinator and continued to focus attention on the tight ends
The 2023 season saw a marked improvement in both return units. The Owls were ranked No. 4 nationally in punt returns, a 28 spot leap while the kick return unit moved up 36 spots
Instrumental in punt returner LaJohntay Wester's No. 2 national finish in punt return touchdowns and his FWAA First Team All-American and HERO Sports Group of Five as an AP selections as well as Wester's AAC Special Team Player of the Year and First Team AAC selection

Wired for Sound

At Georgia Southern

Wore many hats at Georgia Southern in his second stint, including that of a head coach from 2017-21.
Tallied a 28-21 record after leading the Eagles to three bowl appearances - and two victories - in his three full seasons at the helm
Led the Eagles to 10 wins in his first full season as the head coach, a win in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl and engineered the nation’s largest turnaround with a eight-game improvement
As a full-time head coach, record stands at 26-17 with two bowl championships in three appearances
Named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year by Southern Pigskin
Twelve of his players earned all-conference honors and had two All-Americans
In year two, the Eagles overcame a 1-3 start, along with a slew of injuries and adversity, to win six of their final eight regular season games and qualify for a bowl game
Georgia Southern finished with seven wins, a win over No. 20 Appalachian State on the road and an appearance in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl, giving the Eagles two top-25 wins
In all, 10 players earned all-conference honors and two players - Kindle Vildor and Tyler Bass, that he coached in high school - were selected in the NFL Draft. Donald Rutledge Jr. signed a free agent deal with Indianapolis
In 2020, the Eagles won eight games, including a victory over Louisiana Tech in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Georgia Southern was one of only eight teams to play a total of 13 games
Nine Eagles earned all-conference honors with two of them being named All-Americans
After working with the wide receivers in 2013, worked two seasons with the tight ends and served as recruiting coordinator in 2014 and 2015
In 2017, Lunsford coached the Eagle slot receivers and H-backs and served in the role of special teams coordinator, a title he added in 2016, until his promotion to interim head coach for the program's final six games
Over the previous four seasons, his tight ends contributed to the option ground game which led the FBS in rushing yards per game in both 2014 and 2015 and led the FBS in rushing touchdowns in 2015
In 2016, Lunsford was named a Broyles Award nominee, given to the nation’s top assistant coach, as the Eagles blocked seven kicks and featured a Lou Groza Award finalist in Younghoe Koo, who earned Pro Bowl honors with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020
On the recruiting side, Lunsford helped engineer signing classes which featured 22 players and ranked in the top half of the Sun Belt in 2015, also ranked near the top of the Sun Belt in 2014 and in 2016
The signing class of 2018 was rated as the best in the Sun Belt by 247Sports
Named the Sun Belt’s Best Recruiter in 2016 by Scout
As receivers coach in 2013, Georgia Southern’s wideout room led NCAA Division I with most yards per completion, averaging 19.3 yards per catch. Fourteen catches ranked among Georgia Southern’s big plays as the Eagle receiving corps contributed to one of the nation’s top offenses

At Auburn

Served four years in an administrative position with the Auburn football program
He served in consecutive roles as the Tigers’ Director of Scouting and Director of Player Personnel, assisting with the day-to-day operations of Auburn football, with an emphasis on recruiting, organizing and prospect evaluation
Credited with making advancements in technology and introducing new concepts to help the Tigers win recruiting wars, Lunsford assisted with and organized numerous other aspects of Auburn’s recruiting process
The Tigers boasted three of the nation’s top recruiting classes in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and that success translated to the field where Auburn claimed the 2010 BCS national championship, 2010 Southeastern Conference Championship and made appearances in two other bowl games

Georgia Military College

Worked as a linebackers coach with the added responsibilities as special teams coordinator in his second stint with the program from 2007-08

At Georgia Southern

Coached the slotbacks in his previous three seasons (2003-05) on the Georgia Southern staff, including the Eagles’ eventual all-time receptions leader Raja Andrews, who finished his career with 127 catches and as the record holder for receiving yards in a single season with 873
Armed with the ability to run and deliver blocks as well as catch passes in the option offense, his slotbacks provided physical and statistical support to three-straight NCAA Division I rushing titles to go along with a Southern Conference championship in 2004

At Appalachian State

An opportunity to coach on the offense prompted a an assistant coaching position at Appalachian State where he would oversee the tight ends for the 2001 and 2002 seasons

At Georgia Military College (Student)

As an undergraduate, he served as a student assistant with Georgia Military College, beginning his career coaching the tight ends
In February 1997, he was hired as the running backs coach and handled several of the program’s administrative areas
The Bulldogs would play in three-straight Golden Isles bowl games, capture the 1998 National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) rushing title with an average of more than 300 yards per game, and bring home the 1999 Golden Isles bowl championship
Moved to the defensive side of the ball for the 2000 season and his coaching efforts helped GMC rank second nationally in total defense that year

At Griffin High School

Spent a year at Griffin High School as a special education teacher and served as the outside linebackers coach
The Bears posted an overall record of 11-2 that season for a winning percentage of .917, highest in the program history to that point, and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs

Prep Playing Experience

Played at Elbert County High School for legendary coach T. McFerrin
During his high school career, Elbert County made four-straight appearances in the state playoffs and posted a 20-3 record in his junior and senior years

Personal
Born: February 24, 1977
Hometown: Elberton, Ga.
Education: Georgia College in May 2000 with a degree in biology and minor in mathematics; earned a master’s of sport science degree from the United States Sports Academy in 2002
Family: married to the former Tiffany “Tippy” Hyde of Macon in 2002. The Lunsfords have three children: Sophie, Rhett and Josie

Coaching History

Year	School	Position	Record
2022-Present	Florida Atlantic	Tight Ends and Special Teams Coordinator
2021	Georgia Southern	Head Coach	1-3
2020	Georgia Southern	Head Coach	8-5
2019	Georgia Southern	Head Coach	7-6
2018	Georgia Southern	Head Coach	10-3
2017	Georgia Southern	Head Coach (1 game)	0-1
2017	Georgia Southern	Interim Head Coach (5 games)	2-3
2017	Georgia Southern	H-backs/Slotbacks/Special Teams Coordinator
2016	Georgia Southern	Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator
2014-15	Georgia Southern	Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
2013	Georgia Southern	Wide Receivers
2013	Auburn	Director of Player Personnel
2009-12	Auburn	Director of Scouting
2007-09	Georgia Military	Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator
2006-07	Griffin HS (Ga.)	Linebackers
2003-06	Georgia Southern	Slotbacks
2001-03	Appalachian State	Tight Ends
2000	Georgia Military	Linebackers
1997-00	Georgia Military	Running Backs
1996	Georgia Military	Student Assistant

College Bowl/Postseason Experience

Year	School	Position
2020	Georgia Southern	New Orleans vs. Louisiana Tech
2019	Georgia Southern	Cure vs. Liberty
2018	Georgia Southern	Camellia vs. Eastern Michigan
2015	Georgia Southern	GoDaddy vs. Bowling Green
2011	Auburn	Chick-fil-A vs. Virginia
2010	Auburn	Fiesta vs. Oregon - BCS National Champions
2009	Auburn	Outback vs Northwestern
2008	Georgia Military	Mississippi
2007	Georgia Military	Pilgrim's Pride
2005	Georgia Southern	NCAA FCS Round of 16
2004	Georgia Southern	NCAA FCS Round of 16
2002	Appalachian State	NCAA FCS First Round
2001	Appalachian State	NCAA FCS Quarter Finals
1999	Georgia Military	Golden Isles vs Middle Georgia
1998	Georgia Military	Golden Isles
1997	Georgia Military	Golden Isles

Prominent Pupils
Younghoe Koo (K): Atlanta Falcons
Tyler Bass (K): Buffalo Bills
BJ Johnson III (WR): San Francisco 49ers (2017)
Joshua Moon (S): Seattle Seahawks (2021)
Kindle Vildor (CB) Detroit Lions
Raymond Johnson III (DL) Cincinnati Bengals
Donald Rutledge (S) Arizona Cardinals (2020)
Ryan Langan (LS) L.A. Rams (2021)
Najee Thompson (DB) Minnesota Vikings
Darrell Baker (CB) Tennessee Titans