Phil Longo Bio

[StatTiger 3,188]

Phil Longo (Offensive Coordinator)
19 years experience as an offensive coordinator
Six years at the FBS Level
Scheme: Air Raid concept + Running Game

Power 5 Numbers:

· 75 games as offensive coordinator at Ole Miss and North Carolina.
· 35.3 points and 487.1 yards per game over 6-year period.
· 182.0 rushing and 305.1 passing per game.
· 52.4 percent run.
· 159.5 pass efficiency. Keep in mind that the starting quarterbacks in the SEC Championship games from 2010-2022 possessed an average rating of 161.6 and the winner 171.5.
· 3.4 touchdown passes for every interception thrown.
· During 26 games, his run offense was held under 140-yards rushing, but his pass offense compiled an efficiency rating of 151.9, averaging 313-yards passing per game and 26 points per contest.
· 400-yards of offense during 71 percent of his games and over 500-yards 46 percent of the time.
· Held under 300-yards in only 6.5 percent of his games and under 20 points during 14 percent of games.
· Scored at least 30 points during 59 percent of his games.
· Pass offense finished in the top-25 in efficiency during five of six seasons.
· Average national ranking in pass-efficiency during six seasons was No. 18.
· 6 out of 6 Top-25 finishes in explosive plays (20+ yards), four in the top-10. The average national ranking during the six years was No. 10.
· 2017 Ole Miss offense ranked #18 in total offense with 462.3 yards per game and 11th in passing offense with 328.4 yards per game.
· Two different quarterbacks attempted over 170 passes, and both had efficiency ratings over 150 (Shea Patterson and Jordan Ta’amu). Wide receiver AJ Brown caught 75 passes for 1252 yards and 11 TD’s. Running back Jordan Williams became the 5th running back in school history to rush for over 1000-yards.
· 2018 Ole Miss offense was No. 7 nationally with 7.1 yards per play and 9th in total offense with 510.5 yards per game.
· Jordan Ta’amu was the third highest-rated quarterback in the conference, and AJ Brown has 1320 yards receiving on 85 catches.
· His 2019 North Carolina offense included a great running back combination with Michael Carter rushing for over 1000 yards and Javonte Williams totaling 933 yards.
· Freshman quarterback Sam Howell passed for over 3600 yards and 38 touchdowns. Wide receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome both had over 1000 yards in receiving.
· 2020 North Carolina offense averaged 537.2 yards and 41.7 points per game. Carolina averaged 235.8 yards rushing and 301.4 yards passing per game.
· Michael Carter and Javonte Williams both rushed for over 1000 yards, supported by Sam Howell with nearly 3600 yards passing and 30 touchdowns. The Tar Heels finished No. 11 in rushing.
· 2021 North Carolina offense included 1000-yard rusher Ty Chandler and Sam Howell rushing for 829 yards, finishing 17th nationally in rushing. Quarterback Sam Howell threw for 3056 yards and 24 TD’s.
· Josh Downs caught 101 passes for 1335 yards and 8 touchdowns.
· 2022 offense ranked 15th nationally in total offense and No. 23 in scoring offense behind a freshman quarterback. Drake Maye averaged 316.5 yards per game and was the 13th highest-rated passer with a 159.9 rating.
· Josh Downs had 1029 yards receiving during 2022 and 11 touchdown receptions.

Ole Miss Passing Comparison:

Hugh Freeze: 288.9 yards per game / 142.7 rating
Phil Longo: 337.4 yards per game / 155.4 rating
Lane Kiffin: 257.6 yards per game / 148.4 rating

Individual Highlights:

· Six times, his starting quarterback had a passer rating of at least 150.0 in six years.
· Seven 1000-yard receivers during six seasons.
· Five 1000-yard rushers at the RB position during six seasons.
· It has been 31 games since Auburn had a 200-yard passer, 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver during the same game (2020 Ole Miss).

Sam Houston Offensive Coordinator (2014-2016):

· 44 games as offensive coordinator and QB coach.
· 505 yards and 41 points per game.
· No. 1 in total offense during two of three seasons.
· 227.5 rushing and 278.0 yards passing per game.
· No. 9 nationally in rushing during 2014 and 2015.
· 124.2 pass rating in 2014, 137.4 in 2015, and 165.7 in 2016. He went from a strong running offense to an explosive pass offense.
· 2014 offense ranked 9th nationally in rushing with 241.6 yards per game.
· Had 1000-yard rushers during 2014 and 2015.
· 2015 offense set a Southland Conference season record of 7975 yards, third in FCS history.
· 2016 offense set a school record of 4602 yards passing, with two 1000-yard receivers, leading the nation in total offense and No. 2 in scoring.

Slippery Rock Offensive Coordinator (2012-2013):

· 23 games as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.
· 474.7 yards and 39.2 points per game.
· 184.8 rushing and 289.9 yards passing per game.
· Scored an average of 5.0 touchdowns per game.
· Averaged 8.3 yards per pass attempt.
· 143.7 pass efficiency rating.
· 2013 offense averaged 536 yards and 43 points per game.
· 2013 offense ranked 4th in total offense, sixth in passing, and eighth in scoring offense.

Southern Illinois Offensive Coordinator (2008-2009):

· 25 games as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
· 376.2 yards and 31.8 points per game.
· 196.5 rushing and 180.8 yards passing per game.
· Pass efficiency rating of 126.9.
· Replaced 8 of 11 offensive starters going into 2008, featuring 1000-yard rusher Larry Warner and a pass offense that was No. 2 in the conference.
· 2009 offense was No. 7 among all FCS schools in scoring and 21st in total offense.
· Starting quarterback was lost for the year midway through the 2009 campaign, forcing a freshman into the spotlight.
· Deji Karmin, a backup running back, rushed for 1629 yards and 18 TD’s during the 2009 season and was the conference offensive player of the year.

Other Career Notes as Offensive Coordinator:

· 2006-2007, offensive coordinator at Division II, Minnesota-Duluth. No.2 pass offense in the nation, two years in a row.
· Ted Schlafke (quarterback) set numerous Division II passing records.
· 32-year coaching career.
· Head Coach at LaSalle (2004-2005). His offense produced two MAAC Conference Offensive MVP’s, five All-Americans, and 13 All-Conference selections. His offense established 19 school records.
· Offensive coordinator from 2000-2001 at Division III, William Paterson. His offense set 27 school records.
· His quarterbacks in the past six seasons have rushed for 2408 yards and 37 touchdowns.
· Has adapted and adjusted his Air Raid passing concepts, incorporating a strong running game to establish balance in a hurry-up and no-huddle format.
· His RPO schemes have resulted in a high number of explosive plays (487) within a vertical passing attack. During the past six seasons, his offense averaged 81 plays of 20-plus yards per season.
· Despite being a pass-oriented offense, Longo’s last six offenses averaged a national ranking of 20th when it comes to producing run plays of 10-plus yards.
· His run offense over the last six seasons has been just as effective as Auburn’s but brings a much more dominant pass offense. Longo’s running game has averaged 182 yards per game on 4.9 yards per attempt, compared to Auburn’s 186 yards per game on 4.7 yards per rush.
· During his Power-5 stops, his teams won 78 percent of their games with at least 160-yards rushing, gaining an average of 555 yards and 43 points per game. The win percentage would have been drastically higher had the defense not allowed over 30 points during 41 percent of those games.

Red Zone touchdown percentage has been an issue for Longo’s offense during five of the last six seasons, with an average national ranking of 89th. It should be noted that his offenses combined a strong running game and ranked highly in touchdowns inside the red zone, especially during his FCS, Division II, and Division III coaching stops. The 2020 North Carolina offense ranked No. 15 in red zone touchdowns, with two 1000-yard rushers at the running back position, and the 2022 North Carolina leading rusher was their quarterback.

[GreenTiger 1,006]

Seems like a great hire if it happens 

[WillMunny 1,380]

Is Freeze wanting to bring this guy to Auburn?

[AUY2K 271]

Let’s make it double or nothing and get Chizik as DC.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

Would be a home run OC hire. 
What we really need is a home run DC hire. 

[jknighton 310]

6 minutes ago, AUY2K said:

Let’s make it double or nothing and get Chizik as DC.

 

[aucom96 1,625]

Air raid. Eh.

[ScotsAU 1,340]

1 minute ago, aucom96 said:

Air raid. Eh.

Not a traditional air raid though. He tends to run a balanced offense in terms of pass/run percentage, but his passing principles are air raid-esque. 

[StatTiger 3,188]

21 minutes ago, WillMunny said:

Is Freeze wanting to bring this guy to Auburn?

I'm 99% certain this was the OC Freeze referenced during his press conference. He hired him at Ole Miss but Freeze was fired before they could work together in 2017.

[zeroforwinger 443]

Is he being rumored as the OC? UNC has a really strong offense. When it says air raid tendencies does that mean deep routes? 

[StatTiger 3,188]

13 minutes ago, zeroforwinger said:

Is he being rumored as the OC? UNC has a really strong offense. When it says air raid tendencies does that mean deep routes? 

Yes he is rumored as the OC. True Air Raids are not known to be vertical but his version is. Over the last six years, his pass offense has an average national ranking of 11th in yards per pass attempt.

[Gowebb11 9,344]

Hope he brings his QB with him. 

[AUinMS9528 1,086]

This would be AUsome!!!!!

[AUwent 3,756]

Can we please make a single thread for assistant/coordinator hires?

[AUFiend 67]

55 minutes ago, AUwent said:

Can we please make a single thread for assistant/coordinator hires?

Agreed. we should have one thread with everyone on the first page and then discussion afterwards.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

47 minutes ago, AUFiend said:

Agreed. we should have one thread with everyone on the first page and then discussion afterwards.

an Offensive coaches thread 

a Defensive coaches  thread. 

maybe an off- field coach thread.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Quietmaninthecorner

[Old fan 47 773]

2 hours ago, zeroforwinger said:

Is he being rumored as the OC? UNC has a really strong offense. When it says air raid tendencies does that mean deep routes? 

At least they did until Clemson held them to 10 points yesterday 

[AUinMS9528 1,086]

1 minute ago, Old fan 47 said:

At least they did until Clemson held them to 10 points yesterday 

In the championship game, against a team way more talented than they are.  
I could live with our offense struggling in the SECCG!!!!😁

[alexava 6,973]

https://goheels.com/staff-directory/phil-longo/3091

 

His phone number is listed in his bio! Somebody should call him and ask if he is interested. 

[Viper 3,132]

2 hours ago, StatTiger said:

I'm 99% certain this was the OC Freeze referenced during his press conference. He hired him at Ole Miss but Freeze was fired before they could work together in 2017.

Yup you're right. Because Longo's offenses are awesome between the 20s, but suck in the red zone...

 

https://www.oxfordeagle.com/2018/12/12/phil-longos-departure-a-blessing-in-disguise-for-ole-miss/

Phil Longo did some good things for the Ole Miss offense. At times, it was electric and exciting, racking up over 500 yards of offense per game in the 2018 season. However, Longo’s system was often stagnant, rigid and ineffective when things mattered most. It’s what Longo didn’t do that could leave Ole Miss better suited without him.

while the offense was capable of racking up gaudy offensive numbers, it struggled tremendously at turning yards into points.

The same offense that rated 9th nationally in yards was just 35th nationally in points. Football Outsiders keeps a stat called OTF – essentially it records how good a team is at scoring points on drives in which they get at least one first down. Ole Miss was 84th in the nation in OTF. That’s a problem that goes much further than simply players failing to execute. It goes back to the offense’s scheme. Longo’s scheme.

Longo’s offense relies heavily on outside receivers running routes on a vertical plane.

This concept can work against some teams, most notably teams of lesser talent. Clearly it did “work”, look at the yardage numbers. They’re monstrous. But there’s two problems. Teams with better talent at corner – say LSU or Alabama – can play pump and run on the outside. They have the talent and athleticism defensively to cover these routes against the fantastic Rebel wideouts. Ta’amu had just 133 yards passing and completed just 32-percent of his throws against Alabama. Against LSU he threw for only 178 yards on just 50-percent passing.

Additionally, these vertical-plane routes struggle to work as effectively in the red-zone. Hence the scoring woes. When the field shrinks, there are less options for a defender to worry about. Corners don’t have to wonder if D.K. Metcalf is going to run by him deep on a go route. When options are limited, it’s easier to defend. The team needed to utilize more in-breaking routes, slants, pick-plays and misdirection looks ran by the best offenses in college basketball. The simple route tree that works in-between the twenties doesn’t work when the field shrinks.

Throughout SEC play, as the red-zone issue became more pronounced, Longo would continually say everything needs evaluated and looked at. He would say they need to change what they were doing. However, those route concepts consistently remained stagnant.

 

https://www.redcuprebellion.com/2018/12/12/18136854/mack-brown-north-carolina-offensive-coordinator-hire-phil-longo

It’s hard to argue against the overall numbers Longo’s Ole Miss offenses accumulated: in 2018, the Rebels ranked fifth nationally in yards per pass, seventh in yards per play and 12th in offensive S&P+.

But a more nuanced look at the numbers reveals a concerning trend: during his two year tenure, Longo racked up yards and points against overmatched opponents but routinely underwhelmed against top defenses. In 15 games against teams ranked outside the top 60 in defensive S&P+, Longo’s offense poured on eight yards per play and over 41 points per contest; in eight games against defenses inside the top 30, those numbers plummet to 4.9 yards per play and about 15 points per game.

Sure, any offense’s production will dip against top competition, but a disparity that large is significant. Huge outputs against bad defenses—like 40 points and 546 yards vs. Texas Tech or a 70-point, 826-yard explosion against Louisiana-Monroe—provide statistical cover for struggles against better conference teams.

But if Ole Miss wasn’t scoring from far out, it had trouble scoring at all. As the field shrank, so did the offense’s effectiveness: the Rebels rank 50th in points per trip inside opponents’ 40 yard line and just 59th in red zone scoring percentage.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

I am a little surprised that they did not announce his hire today

[AUCE05 369]

52 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

I am a little surprised that they did not announce his hire today

Not sure why OP put this in here. Longo and Maye are expected to be in Tuscaloosa next year. 

[gr82b4au 5,568]

7 minutes ago, AUCE05 said:

Not sure why OP put this in here. Longo and Maye are expected to be in Tuscaloosa next year. 

Well, that would suck

[woodford 3,660]

42 minutes ago, AUCE05 said:

Not sure why OP put this in here. Longo and Maye are expected to be in Tuscaloosa next year. 

Haha oh wow. This new CFB is something else. 

[StatTiger 3,188]

3 hours ago, Viper said:

Yup you're right. Because Longo's offenses are awesome between the 20s, but suck in the red zone...

 

https://www.oxfordeagle.com/2018/12/12/phil-longos-departure-a-blessing-in-disguise-for-ole-miss/

Phil Longo did some good things for the Ole Miss offense. At times, it was electric and exciting, racking up over 500 yards of offense per game in the 2018 season. However, Longo’s system was often stagnant, rigid and ineffective when things mattered most. It’s what Longo didn’t do that could leave Ole Miss better suited without him.

while the offense was capable of racking up gaudy offensive numbers, it struggled tremendously at turning yards into points.

The same offense that rated 9th nationally in yards was just 35th nationally in points. Football Outsiders keeps a stat called OTF – essentially it records how good a team is at scoring points on drives in which they get at least one first down. Ole Miss was 84th in the nation in OTF. That’s a problem that goes much further than simply players failing to execute. It goes back to the offense’s scheme. Longo’s scheme.

Longo’s offense relies heavily on outside receivers running routes on a vertical plane.

This concept can work against some teams, most notably teams of lesser talent. Clearly it did “work”, look at the yardage numbers. They’re monstrous. But there’s two problems. Teams with better talent at corner – say LSU or Alabama – can play pump and run on the outside. They have the talent and athleticism defensively to cover these routes against the fantastic Rebel wideouts. Ta’amu had just 133 yards passing and completed just 32-percent of his throws against Alabama. Against LSU he threw for only 178 yards on just 50-percent passing.

Additionally, these vertical-plane routes struggle to work as effectively in the red-zone. Hence the scoring woes. When the field shrinks, there are less options for a defender to worry about. Corners don’t have to wonder if D.K. Metcalf is going to run by him deep on a go route. When options are limited, it’s easier to defend. The team needed to utilize more in-breaking routes, slants, pick-plays and misdirection looks ran by the best offenses in college basketball. The simple route tree that works in-between the twenties doesn’t work when the field shrinks.

Throughout SEC play, as the red-zone issue became more pronounced, Longo would continually say everything needs evaluated and looked at. He would say they need to change what they were doing. However, those route concepts consistently remained stagnant.

 

https://www.redcuprebellion.com/2018/12/12/18136854/mack-brown-north-carolina-offensive-coordinator-hire-phil-longo

It’s hard to argue against the overall numbers Longo’s Ole Miss offenses accumulated: in 2018, the Rebels ranked fifth nationally in yards per pass, seventh in yards per play and 12th in offensive S&P+.

But a more nuanced look at the numbers reveals a concerning trend: during his two year tenure, Longo racked up yards and points against overmatched opponents but routinely underwhelmed against top defenses. In 15 games against teams ranked outside the top 60 in defensive S&P+, Longo’s offense poured on eight yards per play and over 41 points per contest; in eight games against defenses inside the top 30, those numbers plummet to 4.9 yards per play and about 15 points per game.

Sure, any offense’s production will dip against top competition, but a disparity that large is significant. Huge outputs against bad defenses—like 40 points and 546 yards vs. Texas Tech or a 70-point, 826-yard explosion against Louisiana-Monroe—provide statistical cover for struggles against better conference teams.

But if Ole Miss wasn’t scoring from far out, it had trouble scoring at all. As the field shrank, so did the offense’s effectiveness: the Rebels rank 50th in points per trip inside opponents’ 40 yard line and just 59th in red zone scoring percentage.

Yup… I addressed that. A lack of quality RB’s hurts the most inside the red zone, where 63% of the plays are run plays. During seasons he had quality RB’s his red zone did not suck.