Over The Pylon

Joey Lynch the last time he was in control of the offense at BSU

As we reported this weekend, and Pete Lembo announced today, changes are in order after the departure of BSU offensive coordinator Rich Skrosky. We had received word that Joey Lynch (current recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach) was to be promoted to offensive coordinator. What we were unaware of was the domino promotions that would entail as well. Chad Wilt (current defensive line coach) and Nick Tabacca (current offensive line coach) each received bumps in title as well. Wilt will be the new recruiting coordinator for the Cardinals in addition to his defensive line positional responsibilities, and Tabacca will add the title of “Run Game Coordinator” to his duties. It’s remarkable continuity for the offense, and a reward for a defensive coach that saw his unit provide an impressive performance in 2013. To the release…

Ball State head football coach Pete Lembo has announced promotions and additional duties to the coaching staff due to Rich Skrosky’s acceptance of the head coaching position at Elon.

Joey Lynch has been named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after coaching the tight ends and serving as recruiting coordinator for the Cardinals for the last three seasons.

“Joey has been around the game his entire life and has done a tremendous job learning the nuances of our offensive system the last three years,” Lembo says. “He has made meaningful contributions to our offensive game plans throughout that time and has learned a great deal from former offensive coordinator Rich Skrosky. I have great confidence in his ability to lead our offense and develop our young quarterbacks moving forward.”

Lynch, who earned four letters at quarterback for the Cardinals from 2003-06, is completing his fifth year at Ball State with the 2013 season. After his 2007 graduation from Ball State, Lynch served as offensive coordinator for one season at St. Joseph’s (Ind.) and one year as offensive coordinator at Ashland (2008) before joining the Ball State coaching staff. The son of former Ball State head coach Bill Lynch (1995-2002), he spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for the Cardinals. In 2011, Lynch moved to tight ends coach and remained the team’s recruiting coordinator.

Nick Tabacca, who has coached the offensive line at Ball State for the last two seasons, will add the title of run game coordinator.

“Nick has been an excellent addition to our coaching staff the last two years,” Lembo says. “He not only learned our system quickly, but was able to develop and build cohesion with two uniquely different groups of offensive linemen. The progress of the 2013 offensive line, which was a relatively inexperienced unit, has been nothing short of amazing. Nick has also been a major asset off the field in terms of his ability to recruit and serve as football staff liaison with academic support.”

Tabacca, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Ball State in 2004 and his master’s in 2006, is a former football letterwinner for the Cardinals. A former team captain at Ball State, Tabacca began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Cardinals in 2005 and 2006. He served as an assistant at Defiance (2007-09) and Butler (2010-11) before joining the Cardinals’ staff as a fulltime coach in 2012.

Chad Wilt, who has served as the Cardinals’ defensive line coach the last three seasons, will add the title of recruiting coordinator.

“Chad is very detailed, organized, personable and is more than ready to take on additional responsibilities,” Lembo says. “After three years as a member of our staff and working at the university, he has a great feel for the intangibles we look for in future student-athletes. Chad will work well with our support staff and the various other campus departments which are vital to our recruitment efforts.”

A 2000 graduate of Taylor, Wilt earned a master’s from Virginia in 2005. He began his coaching career at William & Mary in 2001 and came to Ball State after one season at Richmond in 2010. Wilt spent three seasons as the defensive line coach and special team’s coordinator at Central Connecticut State (2001-03) under the tutelage of former Ball State head coach Paul Schudel (1985-94).

Ball State, which will play in the GoDaddy Bowl in Mobile, Ala., Jan. 5, will look to hire a tight ends coach in the near future. The Cardinals completed the 2013 regular season with a 10-2 overall mark and a 7-1 Mid-American Conference record.

For me, it speaks volumes that each of the assistants have a considerable connection to BSU besides their current position. Whether that be on the coaching staff with a legendary coach in Wilt’s case, or growing up with on as his father in Lynch’s case, having an assistant coach with a connection to the program is vital. It speaks to the connection that BSU instills in the family, and I, for one, am happy that Lynch got the nod.

For Joey specifically, it’s the next step in his journey, and perhaps the final one before a program takes a chance on him as a head coach. He’s already demonstrated considerable prowess on the recruiting trail and by shoring up a resume with control of an offensive system he has made himself (along with Jay Bateman) as assistant coaches athletic directors in the market for a young up and coming coach would do well to know. I can think of one particular athletic director who may be in the market for a new head coach in the next few years at a program that Lynch is exceptionally familiar with. And if his Saban-esque interview persona of looking directly at the camera rather than the interviewer are any indication, the Cards are on their way to three out of four national championships.

Congrats to the staff and Go Cards!

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