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FORT COLLINS – Colorado State continues to grow its football staff as head coach Jay Norvell has announced the addition of veteran coach, Grant Chesnut to lead the tight end room as well as two additional positions. The Rams welcome Durron Neal as an assistant wide receivers coach and Carson Strong as an assistant quarterbacks coach.

Grant Chesnut – Tight Ends
"Grant Chesnut brings a wealth of offensive experience after being a coordinator at Kennesaw State and Navy," said Norvell. "He brings a real knowledge of the run game and offensive football, and we're excited for his addition to the CSU staff."

Chesnut comes to Fort Collins after spending the 2024 season at Western Kentucky coaching tight ends. Before arriving on The Hill, Chesnut was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Navy for one season. Prior to that, he held the same role at Kennesaw State starting in 2014. The Owls inaugural season for football came in 2015 and Chesnut wasted no time helping claim Big South Championships in 2017, 2018 and 2021, including posting a 5-4 mark in the FCS playoffs during his time in Black and Gold.

Grant Chesnut Timeline
2025: Colorado State (Tight Ends)
2024: Western Kentucky (Senior Analyst – Tight Ends)
2023: Navy (Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line)
2014-22: Kennesaw State (Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line)
2011-13: Central HS (Head Coach)
2007-10: Mary Persons HS (Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line)
2005-06: Camden County HS (Defensive Line)
2002-04: Thomasville HS (Co-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Line)
2000-01: Presbyterian College (Defensive Line)
1999: Picken County HS (Offensive Line)

Playing Career (Offensive Line)
College: Georgia Southern (1995-98)

Durron Neal – Assistant Wide Receivers Coach
Durron Neal comes to Colorado State from Purdue where he was a recruiting operations associate and an offensive analyst the past two seasons. Prior to West Lafayette, he was the defensive backs coach at Episcopal School of Dallas since 2020.

Neal played at Oklahoma from 2012-15 before signing a UDFA contract with the Denver Broncos. As a receiver for the Sooners, Neal played in 49 games making 26 starts with 104 receptions for 1,323 yards and six touchdowns. Coach Norvell was also his position coach while at OU from 2012-14.

Durron Neal Timeline
2025: Colorado State (Assistant Wide Receiver Coach)
2023-24: Purdue (Offensive Analyst, 2024; Recruiting Operations Associate, 2023)
2020-22: Episcopal School of Dallas (Defensive Backs)

Playing Career (Wide Receiver)
College: Oklahoma (2012-15)
Professional: UDFA / Denver Broncos (2016)

Carson Strong – Assistant Quarterbacks Coach
Carson Strong is no stranger to the offensive staff at CSU, after having a decorative career as the signal caller for the Nevada Wolf Pack and Norvell, from 2018-2021. Strong played 32 games, making 30 starts for Coach Norvell, posting a 20-10 record with 9,379 yards and 74 touchdowns. Strong was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons his final years in Reno.

Strong signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an UDFA before heading to the Arizona Cardinals on the practice squad roster and eventually to the Michigan Panthers of the USFL in 2023. After medically retiring from playing, Strong moved into the coaching ranks.

Strong was on the Colorado State staff as a volunteer assistant prior to the 2023 season but returned to Nevada as an assistant to work with quarterbacks. After the 2023 season, he stayed local and moved to the prep ranks as Reno High School's offensive coordinator and QB coach.

Carson Strong Timeline
2025: Colorado State (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach)
2024: Reno HS (Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach)
2023: Nevada (Staff Assistant)

Playing Career (Quarterback)
College: Nevada (2018-21)
Professional: UDFA / Philadelphia Eagles (2022) / Michigan Panthers, USFL (2023)

Other Staff Additions
Xavier Goldsmith – Director of Scouting – Offense
Goldsmith comes to Colorado State after spending the past two seasons at Utah as a Player Personnel Analyst. Prior to Utah, he was at Western Michigan. Goldsmith initially signed with Colorado State out of high school as a cornerback in 2019 before completing his career at Idaho State in 2022.

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