When asked about Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay, Elon Phoenix head football coach Jason Swepson couldn't say enough about his “family man” mentality.

“Obviously, our wives know each other, did a lot of birthday parties over the last couple of years together,” he said. “But any time you can hire a family man, it just brings a little more stability to the staff.”

Aughtry-Lindsay was hired as the Phoenix’s new linebackers coach Feb. 27, replacing Al Washington, who left to be the assistant special teams and defensive line coach at Boston College. In the short time since his hiring, he has already developed a game plan.

“The biggest thing that I harp on before I get to Xs and Os and schematics and things like that. I’m a fundamentals guy,” he said. “I played the position. I feel like you have to be very fundamentally sound at linebacker to be able to help the defense out. And to me, being a linebacker, I feel like that’s what makes the defense go.”

Aughtry-Lindsay started as a  linebacker for two seasons at North Carolina State University and was part of the NCAA’s No. 1 defense in 2004. He was a defensive graduate assistant from 2008-2010, three years in which Swepson was the running backs coach for the Wolfpack.

“I felt obligated to give him an opportunity to interview just because he played the position at a high level,” Swepson said. “And that’s something that we wanted to have with those three candidates, a person that played the position and coached the position.”

Aughtry-Lindsay also sees the benefits of playing the linebacker position in college. It allows him to relate to his players in a special way, he said.

“I think it helps a whole lot being able to tell a guy some things that I’ve actually done before, whether it’s taking on a fullback, making a tackle or defeating a block,” he said. “Being able to stand in the trenches and play and now being able to be teaching and coaching, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, but I think it gives me a little bit of an edge, to be able to come in and build a relationship with the guys.”

Aughtry-Lindsay also spent two years playing arena football, a year each with the Arkansas Twisters and Laredo Lobos of the Arena Football League 2. He played both linebacker and fullback.

Despite the differences, Aughtry-Lindsay said he learned from playing inside.

“It's definitely a faster sport,” he said. “It actually taught me a couple of things as far as pass rushing because I had to play linebacker, D-line. I had to play everything in the front four. It’s really a game for skilled players, though. A guy like myself, I really became a defensive end guy in arena football. It was fun, it was a fast game and the atmosphere was exciting. It was a great experience."

He spent last year as the linebackers coach at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, helping the team to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title game. But when the opportunity rose to come home, Aughtry-Lindsay, from nearby High Point, could not resist.

“It was a no-brainer for my family and my career,” he said. “Coach Swepson called me and I had to come and interview and offered me the job. I talked to my wife about it, and we wanted to be able to come back home and it was a step up for my career. It was a win-win situation for me as a football coach and for my wife and my kids as a family.”

Aughtry-Lindsay describes himself as a man of faith and family. He lives with his wife, Amber, and has two sons, Colton and Colin.

"My faith in God comes first before everything,” he said. “Me and my wife, we were around the church growing up, we have our kids in the church and then my family is first before anything football. Faith, family and football is how it goes. I understand that football takes care of my family, takes care of everything and feeds my kids. I’ve got two boys and I love ‘em to death, and my wife is great.”

He will be thrown into the fire right off the bat. The Phoenix’s first game this season is Sept. 1 against the University of North Carolina, one of his alma mater's biggest rivals.

“Being a Wolfpack guy, and playing against them, and then as a graduate assistant at N.C. State and playing them, Carolina is a different game,” he said. “It’s always going to be like that to me. If I’m just watching it on TV, N.C. State versus Carolina, I just want to beat those guys. Their powdery blue just doesn’t do it for me, and that’s just me speaking as a Wolfpack alum.”

However, he has no particular motivational speeches planned for that game.

“Whatever I feel like needs to be addressed at that time,” he said. “I’m not a big rah-rah guy, but I try to tell it how it is. My guys know the bottom-line is going out there, running to the ball, making plays, simple as that. We’ll try to keep it simple for them.”

They are a fairly young group of linebackers. The Phoenix are losing starters Joshua Jones and Zach Henderson at graduation, but returning are redshirt freshman Jonathan Spain, freshman Odell Benton and redshirt sophomore Quinton Lightfoot, who saw action in two games. Spain played all 11 games last season and was sixth on the Phoenix with 37 total tackles. Benton played in six games and had 14 total tackles. Along with linebacker recruits Jeremy Gloston, John Lopez, Corey Mitchell and John Silas, former safety and junior Blake Thompson will jump to the linebacker position.

“They’re some good-looking kids,” Aughtry-Lindsay said. “I’m excited to be able to coach these guys. I think this group can be really successful on the field. They have the ability. Just from watching film, I've got three guys returning that I think will be really good players for us. I'm excited. I think they're excited about spring ball and next season."

With a new face roaming the sidelines.