Chad Lindbergh’s Steady Rise Anchors UNC’s Improving Offensive Line

North Carolina did show some improvement offensively last week in its 21-18 loss to Cal, although its 294 yards did not seem like it when you looked at the final gamebook.

One observation was that the offensive line showed significant improvement, producing its first real push at the line of scrimmage against a Power Four opponent this season. The running backs had space to work with, as Benjamin Hall and Davion Gause each logged multiple carries of 10 yards or more.

Center Chad Lindbergh had one of the top five offensive performances of the night, earning a 68.3 grade from Pro Football Focus.

He also posted an 85.4 pass-blocking grade, allowing no sacks, hits, hurries, or pressures for the second consecutive game. That effort came against Clemson, which has one of the most talented defensive lines in all of college football.

UNC — North Carolina offensive lineman Chad Lindbergh (Sept. 15, 2025) | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

While Lindbergh has been by far UNC’s best offensive lineman in seven games, his performance reflects the improvement of the offensive line.

Rough Start

UNC — North Carolina offensive linemen Chad Lindbergh (69) and Daniel King (52) | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

At the start of fall camp, Lindbergh was the third-string center behind Christo Kelly and Austin Blaske. Although Blaske was the starter at guard, he was UNC’s starting center from the year before and he would just slide over if Kelly was hurt.

Throughout the early stages of fall camp, Lindbergh struggled with his snaps.

“I mean, when I first was doing it, my snaps are all over the place. It's not easy to do, you know, you know, throw the ball four yards, but it's upside down between your legs, and you gotta block someone.”

Lindbergh had to adjust quickly when both Blaske and Kelly were injured during fall camp, sidelining them for an extended period and pushing him into the starting center role. He encountered challenges in the game against TCU, struggling with snapping issues throughout the contest.

Sep 2, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels helmets during the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

"It was a bit of learning curve at the very first because, you know, I'm used to just go up there and you listen and, you know, do anything, maybe make a call the guy next to you and go play," Lindbergh said.

"It took me a little while to process, you know, get up there, see it, talk, get down. Then you still have to snap the ball and do what you got to do. So practice has smoothed that out and made it much faster."

The Turning Point

Nonetheless, Lindbergh kept working on his craft throughout the season and he has become one of the more improved players on the team.

The good thing is he had a lot of help from Blaske, who was a former teammate of his at Georgia and remained close with him since then, as well as Kelly. Lindbergh has also been trying to learn the center position because it would give him a better understanding of what needs to happen on the offensive line.

UNC — North Carolina offensive lineman Austin Blaske | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels on SI

“I mean, between him (Blaske) and Christo, a ton of center experience between the two of them. Something that in all my years of college football, when I'm in meetings, I try to learn the center position, because if you can learn center, then you know all five.”

“But then Blaske and Christo, they have so much experience,” Lindbergh added.

“Told me all the techniques I need to know, the little tips and tricks. I'll do something wrong, and then, like, first person that comes up to me is Christo telling me, you know, like, this has always worked for me in the past. I'll go do it.”

UNC — Sep 20, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) warms up by taking snaps from center Chad Lindbergh (69) before the game against the UCF Knights at the Bounce House Stadium. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Even with his improvement at center, Lindbergh still works on his snaps before and after practice and continues to build his knowledge of the position, demonstrating his commitment to his craft.

"I work before and after practice," Lindbergh said. "I mean, I still do, especially if I feel like my snaps are bad at any particular practice, I'll grab Gio (Lopez) or any one of the quarterbacks and get a couple extra after early on, I did change my technique from like a traditional to a dead ball."

"It's been a lot more consistent. I'm still working on philosophy, getting it back there, but I'm just getting more used to it."

"Chad's a smart guy, and he's done a good job picking up on a position that he really hasn't played and really wasn't planning on playing," offensive line coach Will Friend said back in September.

"And so he's done some things. He's gotten better each week of practice. And so, you know, he's got to keep going in that direction, but he's done some good things for us."

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