After OL Coach Josh Henson left the USC Trojans to become the Purdue offensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley made the decision to transition tight ends coach Zach Hanson over to the offensive line. This began the search for a new TE Coach.
Per Pete Thamel of ESPN, USC will hire Colorado State WR Coach Chad Savage. He will serve as the TE Coach and Inside Receivers Coach.
USC Trojans Hire Chad Savage As New TE Coach
On the surface, this feels like a really strong hire for the USC Trojans. Savage was hired at CSU by Jay Norvell after he followed Norvell from Nevada. He was originally hired as the TE coach, the position that he held at Nevada, but after other staff departures, he was moved to WR coach and given the title of Recruiting Coordinator.
Savage was the top recruiter in the Mountain West for three consecutive seasons (2022, 2023, 2024). His primary recruiting focus was Southern California and Arizona and he gained six LA commitments in the Rams 2022 class.
In 2022, Savage was named on 247 Sports 30 Under 30 list. In 2024, Savage was responsible for securing the commitment of WR Jordan Ross, the highest-rated player to ever sign with Colorado State.
He can also be credited for the development of star WR Tory Horton who was on the Biletnikoff Watch List.
Savage is said to have great relationships with high school coaches all over the Los Angeles area. This alone is a huge win for the Trojans as they continue to rebuild their effort to own California recruiting.
Chad Savage will be integral in this initiative, while also developing a really talented tight end room that just got the news of Lake McRee’s return for 2025.