ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan coach Sherrone Moore apparently has zeroed in on the program’s next offensive coordinator in a former assistant coach at UCF.

North Carolina offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, a 26-year coaching veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Tar Heels as coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is expected to be the Wolverines’ offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports Tuesday night.

Lindsey not only will be charged with shaping the Michigan offense but will work with Bryce Underwood, the incoming freshman quarterback and No. 1 overall recruit who officially signed with Michigan last week. Last season at UNC, Lindsey worked with Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall player taken in the 2024 NFL draft.

He has considerable experience coaching quarterbacks throughout his career. He was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Southern Miss (2014-15), Arizona State (’16), Auburn (’17-18), then became head coach at Troy (’19-21). He was hired by then-UCF coach Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2022.

Moore fired Kirk Campbell, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, after one season last week, and began interviewing candidates after the start of the early signing period. He said he wanted to find a coach who can build a balanced offense.

During a news conference Tuesday night to discuss Michigan’s ReliaQuest Bowl matchup in Tampa against Alabama, Moore was asked how soon he will be making a hire.

“Pretty close,” Moore said. “Think in the next day or so I’ll have an answer.” North Carolina ranked 37th in total offense this season averaging 423.4 yards and 35th in scoring, averaging 32.3 points. Michigan was 128th in total offense (294.3) and 112th in scoring (22.3)

The transfer portal opened Monday which likely has accelerated the need to find an offensive coordinator. Moore said Michigan would like to find a quarterback in the portal, but quarterbacks tend to want to know who is coordinating the offense.

“You’ve got to have urgency in everything you do, so I always have that urgency all the time in whatever I’m doing,” Moore said when asked if the portal opening quickened the hiring process. “We want to make sure we found the right fit, the right person that not only scheme-wise, football-wise, development-wise, but also had a love for this place that when they walked into this building you could feel the love I have injected in them. I want that type of person to lead our offense. I think we’re in that place.”

Michigan began practice this week for its New Year’s Eve game, and Moore had said tight ends coach Steve Casula, currently filling in as offensive coordinator, will call the plays.