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Report: USC to hire Colorado State wide receiver coach Chad Savage

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh01/08/25griffin_mcveigh
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Brian Rothmuller | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, USC is set to hire Colorado State wide receiver coach Chad Savage for the 2025 season. Savage will have a slight title change, coaching tight ends and inside receivers for head coach Lincoln Riley.

A nice pickup for the Trojans, snagging one of the top Group of Five assistants out there.

“Sources: USC is expected to hire Colorado State WR coach Chad Savage as the school’s new TE Coach/Inside Receivers coach,” Thamel said via X. “He was the Mountain West’s top recruiter the last three years and played a big role in developing star WR Tory Horton.”

Savage officially began his coaching career back in 2018 when Nevada hired him as a graduate assistant. His first full-time role came two years later with San Diego, working as the wide receivers coach. One season later, Savage was back with Nevada as the tight ends coach, bringing some of that experience with him to Los Angeles.

Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell was able to hire Savage away from the Mountain West Rival in 2022, spending three years in Fort Collins. As mentioned, Savage coached wide receivers but was also the program’s recruiting coordinator.

The 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes for Colorado State were both in the top 80 nationally and inside the top three when looking at the Mountain West.

USC is now hoping the goods Savage has delivered to Colorado State can translate to a power conference level. His first year of experience at this level will come as a member of the Big Ten.

USC adds quarterback through NCAA transfer portal

Former Utah quarterback Sam Huard will transfer to play for USC in 2025. It will mark the fourth team of his career as he also spent time at Washington (2021-22) and Cal Poly (2023).

Huard did not play in any games for the Utes this past season after undergoing surgery for an undisclosed injury. That allowed him to take a medical redshirt and he will have two years of eligibility left with the Trojans.

The year prior with Cal Poly, Huard started nine games to finish with 2,247 yards passing and 18 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He also played five total games in his two seasons at Washington.

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report