Arkansas’ era with new head coach Ryan Silverfield begins with immediate changes. The coaching staff has brought in faces OC Tim Cramsey and the DC Ron Roberts, and the latest special teams coach, Chad Lunsford. With close to three decades of coaching, the 48-year-old only spent less than a year at Auburn and will reportedly now work in Fayetteville. 

Lunsford will replace Scott Fountain, who’s been the longest-tenured assistant coach at the Razorbacks since 2020. He spent his last six years as the special teams coordinator under the former head coach, Sam Pittman.

Chad Lunsford’s Life and Coaching Career

Lunsford is a Georgia native from Elberton. He played football at Elbert County High School and at Georgia College and State University. While doing his undergraduate degree, he served as a student assistant at the Georgia Military College in 1996.

Lunsford spent four seasons with Georgia Military as the running back and linebackers coach before heading to Appalachian State for the next two seasons as the tight ends coach. After two years coaching for Georgia Southern, a year at Griffin High School, and another two seasons at Georgia Military, he was announced as Auburn’s director of scouting in 2009.

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He returned to Georgia Southern in 2013 as the tight ends and special teams coach, and was announced as the interim head coach in 2017, before being promoted to a permanent role from 2018 to 2021. During his tenure as head coach, he had a 28-21 record and led the program to three bowl games.

In 2016, he was announced as the Broyles Award nominee for the Eagles. The Eagles blocked seven kicks that season, and the roster featured a Lou Groza Award finalist in Younghoe Koo, who earned Pro Bowl honors with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

After a 1-3 start in the 2021 campaign, he was fired as the head coach and wound up at Florida Atlantic in 2022, spending three seasons as the Special Teams, Tight Ends, and Assistant Head Coach. That team cleared space for the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher in three seasons, and contributed to pass protection and gathering 13 receptions. The Owls were No. 14 in kickoff return defense and No. 21 in net punting.

He was announced as the interim head coach after Tom Herman’s firing in 2024, having a 1-1 record, before being hired by Auburn as the Special Teams coach for the 2025 season.

Chad Lunsford’s SEC experience at Auburn

Lunsford is not someone new to the SEC. He served as Auburn’s AD from 2009 to 2012. As a special teams coach, he helped Auburn rank third in the SEC in kickoff return. Auburn averages 23 yards per kickoff return. He developed Rayshawn Pleasant, who posted the league’s longest return of 98 yards and a touchdown. He was the only return specialist in the conference to score a touchdown via a kickoff return throughout the regular season.

Adding Lunsford, who has experience coaching for different positions and with recruitment scouting, is a great addition to the Arkansas coaching staff.