Three Rising Stars on USC Trojans Coaching Staff

Who are some rising stars on the USC Trojans coaching staff that are crucial to the programs success?

USC Trojans inside receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage | USC Trojans inside receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage

The head coach and coordinators draw all the attention but one thing is common with great teams, they have excellent assistant coaches on the staff. 

USC coach Lincoln Riley enters the 2026 season with perhaps his best staff since he became a head coach at Oklahoma almost a decade ago. Here are three rising stars on the Trojans coaching staff. 

Chad Savage, Inside Receivers/Tight Ends Coach

USC Trojans inside receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage | USC Trojans inside receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage

When USC hired Colorado State’s Chad Savage to be their inside receivers/tight ends coach last January, it didn’t necessarily make national headlines but high school coaches in Southern California understood the impact it would have on the program. 

Savage was named the Mountain West Recruiter of the Year by 247Sports for three consecutive seasons at Colorado State and the Trojans immediately felt his impact on the recruiting trail. He was instrumental in them landing the No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle. USC had almost no communication with Mater Dei (Calif.) five-star tight end Mark Bowman when Savage joined the staff. That quickly changed and they were able to fend off several SEC schools to keep Bowman in Southern California. 

Savage flipped Bowman’s teammate, receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, a top 50 recruit, from Ohio State on National Signing Day in December. He also landed receiver four-star Trent Mosley, the 2025 MaxPreps California of the Year, four-star receiver Luc Weaver and Josiah Jefferson, the No. 1 JUCO tight end. 

Savage elevated Makai Lemon, who became the second player in program history to win the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the top receiver in college football. Lemon went on to be selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in first round of this year’s NFL Draft. The tight end position became a key fixture of the offense in 2025, something Lincoln Riley had been pushing for since he arrived four years prior. 

Naturally, Savage was pursued by other programs, but chose to stay at USC and was promoted to pass game coordinator. In the 2027 cycle, Savage has landed five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson and four-star receiver Roye Oliver III, the 2025 MaxPreps Sophomore of the Year. 

He’s incredibly well-spoken and his success with recruiting and player development speaks for itself. It won’t be long before he’s an offensive coordinator and very likely a head coach. 

Trovon Reed, Cornerbacks Coach 

USC Trojans cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed | @Khollowell_

Cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed was another big-time hire the Trojans made in January 2025 when they pulled him away from UCF. 

Reed does an excellent job of building genuine relationships with recruits, regardless if they decide to play for him or not. Recruits can spot fake with coaches and programs, and they get nothing but authenticity with Reed. As a former five-star recruit and national champion with the Auburn Tigers in 2010, he’s incredibly relatable to players. 

Reed was also vital in USC signing the No. 1 class in 2026. The Trojans coach landed four-star Elbert “Rock” Hill, an Ohio native, and the No. 1 rated cornerback according to ESPN. Reed also flipped four-star defensive back Peyton Dyer from South Carolina and three-star cornerback Jayden Crowder from Cal. 

After playing just nine snaps as a true freshman in 2024, cornerback Marcelles Williams became a full-time starter in 2025. The player he was in September was vastly different than the player he blossomed into in November. Williams' confidence grew dramatically under the tutelage of Reed, and he was a big part of their defensive success the final month of the season. 

So, when Riley hired a new defensive coordinator this offseason, one defensive coach that he made sure to retain was Reed. He landed Iowa State transfer Jontez Williams, the No. 1 cornerback in the portal. And in the 2027 cycle, the Trojans targeted two Southern California four-star cornerbacks in Danny Lang and Aaryn “J.O.” Washington and were able to land both top 100 prospects. Reed is only entering his third season in the coaching ranks and just getting started. 

Zach Hanson, Offensive Line Coach

USC Trojans offensive line coach Zach Hanson and freshman offensive tackle Chase Deniz | USC Trojans on SI

Zach Hanson joined the USC staff as the tight ends coach when Riley took over as the head coach in 2022. 

Following the 2024 season, Hanson, a former All-Big-12 offensive lineman at Kansas State, became the Trojans offensive line coach. He is another coach that made waves on the recruiting trail. Hanson landed five-star Keenyi Pepe, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2026 class, as well as four-stars Breck Kolojay, Esun Tafa and Vlad Dyakonov. 

Last season, the Trojans led the Big Ten in total offense, allowed the second fewest sacks in the Big Ten and the seventh fewest in the Power Four. All while having to constantly reshuffle the offensive line because of varies injuries throughout the season.

Heading into this season, Hanson has created depth and experience on the offensive line, a position group that could perhaps be USC’s biggest strength in 2026. In the 2027 recruiting cycle, Hanson flipped Servite (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle and top 100 prospect from Oregon in March. 

Hanson could have left this offseason and joined the staff at Kansas State under new head coach Collin Klein, his former quarterback with the Wildcats and one of his good friends. However, Hanson chose to stay in Los Angeles with one goal in mind, building a dominant front for the Trojans. 

Hanson is another coach that is excellent at building genuine relationships with recruits, who have raved about his family first approach and ability to get the most of his players. He commands a room and will certainly have other suitors that try to pull him away from USC in the near future. 

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