Tucker Names Chris Kapilovic Offensive Line Coach and Run Game Coordinator
2/17/2020 6:27:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker has announced that Chris Kapilovic will be joining the Spartan staff as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
Kapilovic (pronounced kuh-pil-oh-vick) has nearly 30 years of coaching experience, including roles as an offensive coordinator and/or run game coordinator at Southern Mississippi (2008-11), North Carolina (2012-18) and Colorado (2019). He has coached multiple NFL players, first-round draft picks and record-setting offenses during his career.
"Chris is very passionate about the game of football and is a master motivator," said Tucker. "He's a great teacher who puts a premium on technique and fundamentals. He's hard-nosed and will have his offensive line ready to play. He's an outstanding football coach."
Kapilovic, 51, joined Tucker's staff in Colorado for the 2019 season as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. The Buffaloes allowed the third-fewest sacks in the Pac-12 (1.75 pg) last season, and graduate transfer Arlington Hambright earned honorable mention all-conference honors in his lone season in Boulder under the tutelage of Kapilovic.
Prior to Colorado, Kapilovic coached the offensive line for seven seasons at North Carolina (2012-18) for head coach Larry Fedora. Kapilovic served as the run game coordinator for the Tar Heels his first two seasons (2012-13), was promoted to co-offensive coordinator for the next two years (2014-15), and was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator his final three seasons (2016-18).
In his seven seasons at UNC, Kapilovic was part of an offensive unit that established numerous school records, including points per game (40.6 ppg in 2012, 40.7 in 2015) and total offense (485.6 ypg in 2012, 486.9 ypg in 2015). The Tar Heels ranked No. 8 in the FBS in scoring offense in 2012 and No. 9 in 2015. UNC also set school records for most passing yards for five straight years (2012-16), peaking at 293.2 yards per game in 2016. The 2018 squad allowed just 10 sacks all season, the fourth fewest in the FBS, and the 0.91 sacks allowed per game ranked seventh best.
In 2016, Kapilovic's offense, led by quarterback Mitch Trubisky, set the school passing yards mark for the fifth season in a row, as UNC won eight games and earned a berth in the Sun Bowl against Stanford. Trubisky was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and is currently starting for the Chicago Bears; he was one of 10 Tar Heels to either be drafted or signed by an NFL team under Kapilovic.
During the 2015 season, North Carolina posted an 11-3 record and won the ACC Coastal Division with a perfect 8-0 league record to finish at No. 15 in the national polls. The Tar Heels led the nation in yards per play (7.28) and were ninth in scoring offense, averaging 40.7 points per game. Kapilovic's offensive line was named a semifinalist for the 2015 Joe Moore Award, which is awarded annually to the nation's best offensive line. Tailback Elijah Hood rushed for 1,453 yards, North Carolina averaged a school record 6.0 yards per carry, and ranked first in the ACC in the least number of sacks allowed with just 16 in 14 games.
In his first season at UNC (2012), three Tar Heel offensive linemen were drafted, led by guard Jonathan Cooper (No. 7 overall by Arizona), along with tackle Brennan Williams (third round by Houston) and guard Travis Bond (seventh round by Minnesota).
Kapilovic was previously hired by Fedora in 2008, when he took the head coaching job at Southern Mississippi. He was at USM for four seasons (2008-11), all four as the offensive line coach with additional duties as the run game coordinator his last two years there before moving on to North Carolina and joining Fedora's staff in Chapel Hill.
At Southern Mississippi (2008-11), his offensive lines paved the way for school records for total offense three times, with a high of 6,459 in his final season there (the Golden Eagles gained over 5,000 in all four seasons, including over 2,000 rushing yards each year). After run game coordinator was added to his offensive line duties in 2010, the next year, USM won the Conference USA championship by defeating Houston, 49-28, in the league title game. A 24-17 win over Nevada in the Hawai'i Bowl gave USM a 12-2 final record and a No. 20 national ranking for the 2011 season.
After working as a student assistant coach at his alma mater, Missouri State, in 1991, Kapilovic started his professional coaching career at Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb northwest of Phoenix. He spent six seasons there as the school's offensive line coach, and then moved over to Phoenix College where he worked with the offensive line and also served as the school's strength coach.
Kapilovic worked as a graduate assistant at Kansas under coach Terry Allen for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. His first full-time job in the collegiate ranks soon followed, as he was the offensive line coach for Alabama State the next two years (2001-02), with offensive coordinator duties added to his role for the Hornets for his final three seasons there (2003-05). He returned to Missouri State for a second stint, this time as its run game coordinator and the offensive line coach for the 2006-07 seasons.
Kapilovic lettered two years (1989-90) as an offensive tackle at Missouri State University, earning first-team All-Gateway Conference honors as a senior. The Bears were 19-6 his two seasons on the squad, winning the Gateway Conference title both seasons and qualifying for the Division I-AA playoffs. Missouri State finished ninth in the final I-AA poll in 1989, and sixth in the 1990 final balloting. He graduated from Missouri State with a degree in education in 1990. He played two seasons at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College prior to transferring to Missouri State.
Kapilovic was born Nov. 11, 1968 in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Gerard Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He is married to the former Fiona Yount, and the couple has two sons, Carsen and Colin.
THE CHRIS KAPILOVIC FILE
KAPILOVIC AT A QUICK GLANCE: Kapilovic has coached in 165 FBS games as a full-timer (89-76 record).
POSTSEASON COACHING EXPERIENCE: Eight bowl games (2008 New Orleans, 2009 New Orleans, 2010 Beef O'Brady's, 2011 Hawai'i, 2013 Belk, 2014 Quick Lane, 2015 Russell Athletic, 2016 Sun).
PREVIOUS FULL-TIME COLLEGE COACHING EXPERIENCE:
Offensive line coach at Alabama State (2001-02)
Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Alabama State (2003-05)
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator at Missouri State (2006-07)
Offensive line coach at Southern Mississippi (2008-09)
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator at Southern Mississippi (2010-11)
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator at North Carolina (2012-13)
Co-offensive coordinator/offensive line at North Carolina (2014-15)
Offensive coordinator/offensive line at North Carolina (2016-18)
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator at Colorado (2019)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE: Two-year letterwinner as an offensive tackle at Missouri State University from 1989-90. Played two seasons at Scottsdale Community College prior to attending Missouri State.
Kapilovic (pronounced kuh-pil-oh-vick) has nearly 30 years of coaching experience, including roles as an offensive coordinator and/or run game coordinator at Southern Mississippi (2008-11), North Carolina (2012-18) and Colorado (2019). He has coached multiple NFL players, first-round draft picks and record-setting offenses during his career.
"Chris is very passionate about the game of football and is a master motivator," said Tucker. "He's a great teacher who puts a premium on technique and fundamentals. He's hard-nosed and will have his offensive line ready to play. He's an outstanding football coach."
Kapilovic, 51, joined Tucker's staff in Colorado for the 2019 season as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. The Buffaloes allowed the third-fewest sacks in the Pac-12 (1.75 pg) last season, and graduate transfer Arlington Hambright earned honorable mention all-conference honors in his lone season in Boulder under the tutelage of Kapilovic.
Prior to Colorado, Kapilovic coached the offensive line for seven seasons at North Carolina (2012-18) for head coach Larry Fedora. Kapilovic served as the run game coordinator for the Tar Heels his first two seasons (2012-13), was promoted to co-offensive coordinator for the next two years (2014-15), and was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator his final three seasons (2016-18).
In his seven seasons at UNC, Kapilovic was part of an offensive unit that established numerous school records, including points per game (40.6 ppg in 2012, 40.7 in 2015) and total offense (485.6 ypg in 2012, 486.9 ypg in 2015). The Tar Heels ranked No. 8 in the FBS in scoring offense in 2012 and No. 9 in 2015. UNC also set school records for most passing yards for five straight years (2012-16), peaking at 293.2 yards per game in 2016. The 2018 squad allowed just 10 sacks all season, the fourth fewest in the FBS, and the 0.91 sacks allowed per game ranked seventh best.
In 2016, Kapilovic's offense, led by quarterback Mitch Trubisky, set the school passing yards mark for the fifth season in a row, as UNC won eight games and earned a berth in the Sun Bowl against Stanford. Trubisky was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and is currently starting for the Chicago Bears; he was one of 10 Tar Heels to either be drafted or signed by an NFL team under Kapilovic.
During the 2015 season, North Carolina posted an 11-3 record and won the ACC Coastal Division with a perfect 8-0 league record to finish at No. 15 in the national polls. The Tar Heels led the nation in yards per play (7.28) and were ninth in scoring offense, averaging 40.7 points per game. Kapilovic's offensive line was named a semifinalist for the 2015 Joe Moore Award, which is awarded annually to the nation's best offensive line. Tailback Elijah Hood rushed for 1,453 yards, North Carolina averaged a school record 6.0 yards per carry, and ranked first in the ACC in the least number of sacks allowed with just 16 in 14 games.
In his first season at UNC (2012), three Tar Heel offensive linemen were drafted, led by guard Jonathan Cooper (No. 7 overall by Arizona), along with tackle Brennan Williams (third round by Houston) and guard Travis Bond (seventh round by Minnesota).
Kapilovic was previously hired by Fedora in 2008, when he took the head coaching job at Southern Mississippi. He was at USM for four seasons (2008-11), all four as the offensive line coach with additional duties as the run game coordinator his last two years there before moving on to North Carolina and joining Fedora's staff in Chapel Hill.
At Southern Mississippi (2008-11), his offensive lines paved the way for school records for total offense three times, with a high of 6,459 in his final season there (the Golden Eagles gained over 5,000 in all four seasons, including over 2,000 rushing yards each year). After run game coordinator was added to his offensive line duties in 2010, the next year, USM won the Conference USA championship by defeating Houston, 49-28, in the league title game. A 24-17 win over Nevada in the Hawai'i Bowl gave USM a 12-2 final record and a No. 20 national ranking for the 2011 season.
After working as a student assistant coach at his alma mater, Missouri State, in 1991, Kapilovic started his professional coaching career at Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb northwest of Phoenix. He spent six seasons there as the school's offensive line coach, and then moved over to Phoenix College where he worked with the offensive line and also served as the school's strength coach.
Kapilovic worked as a graduate assistant at Kansas under coach Terry Allen for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. His first full-time job in the collegiate ranks soon followed, as he was the offensive line coach for Alabama State the next two years (2001-02), with offensive coordinator duties added to his role for the Hornets for his final three seasons there (2003-05). He returned to Missouri State for a second stint, this time as its run game coordinator and the offensive line coach for the 2006-07 seasons.
Kapilovic lettered two years (1989-90) as an offensive tackle at Missouri State University, earning first-team All-Gateway Conference honors as a senior. The Bears were 19-6 his two seasons on the squad, winning the Gateway Conference title both seasons and qualifying for the Division I-AA playoffs. Missouri State finished ninth in the final I-AA poll in 1989, and sixth in the 1990 final balloting. He graduated from Missouri State with a degree in education in 1990. He played two seasons at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College prior to transferring to Missouri State.
Kapilovic was born Nov. 11, 1968 in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Gerard Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He is married to the former Fiona Yount, and the couple has two sons, Carsen and Colin.
THE CHRIS KAPILOVIC FILE
KAPILOVIC AT A QUICK GLANCE: Kapilovic has coached in 165 FBS games as a full-timer (89-76 record).
POSTSEASON COACHING EXPERIENCE: Eight bowl games (2008 New Orleans, 2009 New Orleans, 2010 Beef O'Brady's, 2011 Hawai'i, 2013 Belk, 2014 Quick Lane, 2015 Russell Athletic, 2016 Sun).
PREVIOUS FULL-TIME COLLEGE COACHING EXPERIENCE:
Offensive line coach at Alabama State (2001-02)
Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Alabama State (2003-05)
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator at Missouri State (2006-07)
Offensive line coach at Southern Mississippi (2008-09)
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator at Southern Mississippi (2010-11)
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator at North Carolina (2012-13)
Co-offensive coordinator/offensive line at North Carolina (2014-15)
Offensive coordinator/offensive line at North Carolina (2016-18)
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator at Colorado (2019)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE: Two-year letterwinner as an offensive tackle at Missouri State University from 1989-90. Played two seasons at Scottsdale Community College prior to attending Missouri State.
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