Chip Long Q&A (Rivals.com/Jan. 25, 2012)
Nine-year coaching veteran Chip Long enters his fourth season as tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator on the Sun Devil coaching staff. In 2014, Long added offensive special teams to his list of on-field responsibilities.
Long’s direction and guidance played a significant role in the development of tight end Chris Coyle, ASU’s top performer at the position this decade. In his senior season, Coyle finished third in the nation among tight ends with 4.38 receptions per game, averaged 14.6 yards per catch and caught four touchdowns. Coyle, who signed a free agent with the Houston Texans in 2014, finished his Sun Devil career third on the program’s all-time list for most receptions by a tight end (92) while his nine touchdown grabs tied for fourth in ASU history among tight ends.
In his first season in Tempe, Long made an immediate impact as Coyle set the single-season school record for most receptions by a tight end with a team-leading 57 grabs and was one touchdown shy (5) of tying the school single-season record for touchdown receptions by a tight end.
Long, who also serves as ASU’s recruiting coordinator, has appeared on Rivals.com’s list of the Pac-12’s top recruiters multiple times and in 2015 was in contention for the website’s national recruiter of the year.
Prior to joining Todd Graham’s ASU staff, Long was the tight ends and fullbacks coach at the University of Illinois in 2010 and 2011.
Long spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas, working with tight ends.
In his first season with the Illini, Long was given the task of molding tight ends and fullbacks out of a roster that was largely designed to run the spread offense. True freshmen Evan Wilson and Jay Prosch thrived under his tutelage, with Wilson starting 11 games at tight end and Prosch starting seven at fullback. Wilson caught 10 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns on the season, while Prosch, who earned freshman all-America honors, asserted himself as a bruising blocker, most notably opening holes for running back Mikel Leshoure’s school single-game record-breaking total of 330 yards against Northwestern.
At Arkansas, Long developed tight end D.J. Williams, who became the first player in school history to win the Mackey Award. As a sophomore Williams had a record-breaking season that saw him become an All-SEC first-team selection by the Associated Press and a second-team honoree by the league coaches. He finished the season as the team leader in receptions (61) and receiving yards. In 2009, Williams was again a second-team All-SEC selection by the coaches and entered 2010 as a preseason All-American.
Prior to his stint in Fayetteville, Long spent two seasons at the University of Louisville and worked with the wide receivers and quarterbacks.
A receiver and tight end for North Alabama, Long was a multi-year starter and in 2005 earned All-America, first-team All-South Region and first-team All-Gulf South Conference honors. He helped the Lions to the NCAA Division II semifinals in 2003 and 2005.
In the summer of 2010, Long was named as the tight end for the Gulf South Conference All-Decade Team. A native of Birmingham, Ala., Long received his bachelor’s degree in history with minors in both psychology and business administration.