The 2021 campaign marks the 13th season overall, and eighth in his current stint at Georgia Southern for Chad Lunsford, who has worn many hats in his time in Statesboro. Lunsford was promoted from assistant head coach to interim head coach on Oct. 22, 2017.
He was named the 10th full-time head coach in the modern era on Nov. 27, 2017. He enters his fourth full season as the head coach of the Eagles with a 27-18 record after leading the Eagles to three bowl appearances - and two victories - in his first three full seasons at the helm.
All he did in his first full season was lead the Eagles to 10 wins, a win in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl and engineer the nation’s largest turnaround with a 7.5-game improvement. For his accomplishments, he was named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year by Southern Pigskin. Twelve of his players earned all-conference honors and he even 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. In all, 10 players earned all-conference honors and two players - Kindle Vildor and Tyler Bass - were selected in the NFL Draft and 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. Nine Eagles earned all-conference honors with two of them being named All-Americans.
After working with the wide receivers in 2013, Lunsford 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. He was named the program’s assistant head coach in 2017.
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 also 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 Class of 2018 was rated as the best in the Sun Belt by 247Sports. He was named the Sun Belt’s Best Recruiter in 2016 by Scout.
Georgia Southern’s wide receivers in 2013 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.
Lunsford returned to Statesboro as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator in June 2013 after 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.
Lunsford 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.
After departing Georgia Southern in 2006, Lunsford 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.
Two years back at Georgia Military College followed his time at Griffin with Lunsford taking a familiar place as linebackers coach and adding responsibilities as special teams coordinator.
Lunsford 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.
He graduated from Georgia College in May 2000 with a degree in biology and minor in mathematics, and earned a master’s of sport science degree from the United States Sports Academy in 2002.
While at Georgia College 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. Lunsford 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.
An opportunity to coach on the offense again prompted him to accept an assistant coaching position at Appalachian State where he would coach the tight ends for the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
Married to the former Tiffany “Tippy” Hyde of Macon in 2002, the Lunsfords have three children, Sophie, Rhett and Josie.
THE LUNSFORD FILE
Personal
Hometown: Elberton, Ga.
Born: February 24, 1977 in Anderson, S.C.
College: Georgia College (2000); U.S. Sports Academy (2002)
Family: wife, Tippy; daughters, Sophie, Josie; son, Rhett
Experience
2018- Georgia Southern (head coach)
2017 Georgia Southern (1 game; head coach)
2017 Georgia Southern (5 games; interim head coach)
2017 Georgia Southern (assistant head coach/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 (Ga.) HS (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
2020 New Orleans (GS vs. Louisiana Tech)
2019 Cure (GS vs. Liberty)
2018 Camellia (GS vs. Eastern Michigan)
2015 GoDaddy (GS vs. Bowling Green)
2011 Chick-fil-A (Auburn vs. Virginia)
2010 Fiesta (Auburn vs. Oregon) - BCS National Champions
2009 Outback (Auburn vs. Northwestern)
2008 Mississippi (GMC)
2007 Pilgrim’s Pride (GMC)
2005 NCAA FCS Round of 16 (GS)
2004 NCAA FCS Round of 16 (GS)
2002 NCAA FCS First Round (ASU)
2001 NCAA FCS Quarterfinals (ASU)
1999 Golden Isles (GMC vs. Middle Georgia)
1998 Golden Isles (GMC)
1997 Golden Isles (GMC)
Prominent Pupils
Younghoe Koo (K): Atlanta Falcons
Tyler Bass (K): Buffalo Bills
BJ Johnson III (WR): San Francisco 49ers
Joshua Moon (S): Seattle Seahawks
