Offensive Coaching Staff
MATT MUMME | ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/PASS GAME COORDINATOR
Matt Mumme, an Air Raid offense enthusiast, was hired as Colorado State’s associate head coach and quarterbacks coach in December 2021, following head coach Jay Norvell from Nevada. He spent five years in both roles with the Wolf Pack.
Guiding the youngest quarterbacks room in the country in 2022 – none of them were older than redshirt freshmen and three different players started games – Mumme’s teaching prowess was evident as Clay Millen was named a Freshman All-American by PFF after setting the school record for completion percentage at 72.2 The mark also set the FBS record for a freshman and was the second best in Mountain West history.
In the his final two seasons at Nevada, the Wolf Pack offense hit new heights, led by quarterback Carson Strong, who repeated as Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. Nevada led the conference in scoring offense (36.7 points per game), touchdowns (54), pass attempts (549), pass completions (383) and passing offense (365.8 yards per game) as Strong led the league in total offense (330.5 per), passing yards per game (347.9) and tied for the lead in passing touchdowns (36).
After ranking 12th nationally in 2020 in passing offense, Nevada finished fourth in 2021 and the scoring offense ranked 15th nationally.
Mumme guided Strong through continuous progression beginning in 2019,w hen Strong made 10 starts, finishing with better than 2,600 passing yards each season. He set the Nevada bowl game record with 402 yards in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl that first season.
On the individual side in 2018, Mumme developed Ty Gangi into one of the top quarterbacks in the Mountain West. Gangi ranked in the top five in the conference in a number of categories including passing TDs, passing yards, passing yards per game, total offense and passing yards per completion. In two of those categories, passing yards and passing yards per game, Gangi finished the year in the top 20 in the nation. Additionally Gangi threw a touchdown pass in 27 consecutive games to end his career, which was second nationally.
Mumme adopted the Air Raid scheme right away with Nevada to much success. The Wolf Pack ranked 32nd in the nation in Mumme’s first season and was second in the Mountain West in passing offense, averaging 270.4 yards per game through the air. The Air Raid attack really got going during league play when the Pack increased its production to 307.4 yards per game, which ranked first in the conference.
Under Mumme’s direction in 2017, Gangi broke out to become a top threat in the conference. Gangi garnered an All-MW honorable mention after leading the league in touchdown passes (23) during the conference season. In total Gangi threw 25 touchdown passes on the year, which ranked in the top 30 nationally, and totaled over 2,700 yards through the air.
Mumme also developed a couple of key receiving targets in the Air Raid scheme in All-MW second team performer Wyatt Demps and freshman All-America McLane Mannix. Demps posted one of the finest seasons by a Pack receiver in recent memory, leading the conference with 11 receiving touchdowns and finishing second in receptions with 67. Demps nearly notched a 1,000-yard receiving season as well, totaling 908 yards which ranked in the top 45 in the nation. Mannix on the other hand snagged 57 catches for 778 yards, notched six touchdowns and averaged 13.6 yards per catch. His 57 receptions were tied for second among freshmen wide receivers, he was fifth in receiving yards and fourth in receiving touchdowns.
Mumme came to the Pack after four seasons as the head coach of LaGrange College in Georgia. He played quarterback at the University of Kentucky under his father, Hal Mumme, the noted architect of the pass-happy and up-tempo Air Raid system.
Mumme arrived in Fort Collins with 19 years of coaching experience under his belt, including 10 as an offensive coordinator at New Mexico State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, McMurry University, Davidson College and LaGrange College. In his coaching career, he has guided a top-10 passing offense in the nation 11 times, including three times as the top passing offense in the nation and once as the top team in total offense.
Mumme’s offense led the USA South conference in passing for the fourth straight year in 2016, averaging more than 360 yards per game. The Panthers led NCAA Division III in passing yards per game in 2013 and were sixth in 2014. In 2016 they finished fifth in the nation in passing.
Mumme’s offenses at Davidson broke numerous school records. Quarterback Jonathan Carkhuff broke the school passing record and was sixth in the nation, while receiver Lanny Funsten became an All-American under Mumme, setting a single-season school record with 100 receptions.
In two seasons at McMurry, Mumme’s War Hawks were second in Division III in passing yards and led all of college football with 45 touchdown passes. His offense produced 6,699 passing yards and 71 touchdowns, driving the team’s first winning season in 10 years.
Mumme has coached 10 all-conference quarterbacks and receivers. Mumme also coached All-American quarterback Martin Hankins at Southeastern Louisiana. Hankins threw for 7,777 yards and 65 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, the Heisman Trophy for the NCAA Division I Football Championship Series.
His 2003 offense at SELU led the nation in both passing offense and total offense. The 2004 Lions offense also led the nation in passing under Mumme’s direction. Mumme holds a degree in human environmental studies with a minor in business from the University of Kentucky and also earned a master’s in business administration from Southeastern Louisiana University. His wife, Fayedra, is a licensed professional counselor.
BILL BEST | OFFENSIVE LINE
Bill Best was named Colorado State’s offensive line coach in December 2021, following Jay Norvell from Nevada, where Best served in the same role for two seasons.
In his first season, Best had to guide the Rams through a series of injuries, leading to four different centers starting during the season, including a walk-on true freshman. The unit had a different staring five in each of the first five weeks, using six different combinations throughout the season. The only positions which did not experience change were the two guard slots. In the end, Jacob Gardner still earned honorable mention All-Mountain West recognition for the third consecutive season.
In two seasons at Nevada, his offensive line earned nine All-Mountain West honors, ranging from second team to honorable mention. In 2021, five of his linemen were recognized for protecting two-time Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Carson Strong, enabling the Wolf Pack to finish fourth nationally in passing offense.
After beginning his coaching career at the high school level, Best has spent the bulk of his college career in Texas, beginning at the junior college level in 2004 with stops at West Texas A&M, Central Arkansas, Stephen F. Austin and Rice.
He coached tight ends at Rice in 2018 and 2019 after a strong four-year run at SFA with the Lumberjacks. While at Nacogdoches, SFA averaged 435 yards per game in 2016 and 2017, including a rushing offense that put up more than 200 yards a game in 2017. The Lumberjacks’ offensive line also paved the way for a 1,600-yard rusher during Best’s first season in 2014.
Best has seen 13 of his offensive linemen sign professional contracts during his coaching career.
Prior to SFA, Best spent the previous two seasons as the offensive line coach for Central Arkansas. Best spent six seasons at West Texas A&M, beginning his career with the Buffs in 2006 as a graduate assistant before being elevated to associate head coach and offensive line coach in 2007. In 2011 he served as offensive coordinator for the Buffaloes.
Best spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Ranger College (2004-05) after beginning his coaching career at the high school level in Louisiana.
He played at Millsaps College and Louisiana Monroe.
GRANT CHESNUT | TIGHT END
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 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.
JAMES FINLEY | WIDE RECEIVERS
James Finley coaches the tight ends as a part of Jay Norvell's initial coaching staff, coming to Colorado State in January 2021.
Originally hired to coach running backs, Finley shifted to tight ends following the hire of Timmy Chang to Hawaii.
In his first season as a collegiate coach, he led a young and inexperienced group of tight ends who would start to add some punch by the end of the campaign. His room finished the season with 22 catches, with true freshman Jordan Williams earning a start late in the season and producing his first collegiate score on a 21-yard pass.
Finley came to Fort Collins after spending four seasons as the wide receivers coach at Mater Dei, a southern California high school football powerhouse, where he helped win two national championships. Current Ram George Miki-Han and former CSU punter Ryan Stonehouse both attended the school. Finley was an All-Pac 10 Honorable Selection over two years playing at Oregon (2005-06).
Prior to his career at Oregon, Finley was ranked among the nation’s top 10 junior college wide receivers following the 2004 season by SuperPrep as well as 32nd in the country among JC prospects encompassing all positions. College Football News tabbed him nationally as the sixth-best junior college receiver and 15th-best overall recruit. He ranked seventh in California in receptions per game as a sophomore (6.4 avg.) and 11th in yards per game (100.8 avg.), hauling in seven touchdowns to go along with his 64 catches and 1,008 receiving yards.
During his prep career, he completed his senior year with 83 receptions for more than 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns to become one of three wide receivers to be named to the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Best-in-the-West contingent as well as the Tacoma News Tribune’s Western One-Hundred. His 131 receptions for 2,477 yards and 28 TDs during his final two prep campaigns did not include his six catches for 122 yards and two scores in the post-season California-Florida high school all-star game.
JEREMY MOSES | RUNNING BACKS
Jeremy Moses joined Jay Norvell’s initial staff in January of 2022, hired as the running backs coach.
For Moses, it is a return to the collegiate ranks after spending the past few seasons as a high school football coach in Texas, both at Clear Lake and Baytown Sterling.
In his first season at CSU, he helped Avery Morrow transform from a backup at Nevada to a certified threat in the Mountain West for the Rams. Morrow rushed for 834 yards, producing a trio of 100-yard games (the first of his career) and four touchdowns.
The seven years prior, he was an offensive assistant at his alma mater, Stephen F. Austin, coaching the quarterbacks and running backs before serving as the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach his final two seasons.
In his first year in charge of SFA’s wideouts, Moses led a talented group of receivers highlighted by sophomore Tamrick Pace, who claimed All-Southland Second Team honors after leading the team in receptions (53) and receiving yards (645) for the second-straight season. Pace reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark in 2017 after just 15 games played. Moses also coached the duo of junior FBS transfers Terian Goree and Frank Iheanacho, who made their presence felt in the Southland Conference by combining for 75 catches for 656 yards.
Prior to the 2017 season, Moses spent three years working with the SFA running backs, overseeing a group that rushed for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in 2016. Sophomore Loren Easly led the way with 497 yards and seven touchdowns for the ‘Jacks with senior Joshawa West adding 452 yards on the ground. Newcomer Kijana Amous also came on strong at the end of the season, finishing with 228 yards and a touchdown.
The Lumberjack rushing unit continued to thrive in 2015, led by the emergence of freshman Easly, who led the team with 759 rushing yards and two of the top-10 longest runs in program history. Junior West added to the rushing attack with his 617 yards, giving SFA a balanced onslaught on the ground. In 2014, Moses spent the season leading Walter Payton Award finalist Gus Johnson, guiding the senior to the best rushing season in both SFA and Southland history. It formed a unique storyline with a Walter Payton Award winner mentoring a Walter Payton Award finalist.
Named to numerous All-America teams during his collegiate career from 2007-10, Moses re-wrote both school and Southland record books on his way to being named FCS National Player of the Year. A two-time Southland Player of the Year selection, Moses graduated from SFA as the NCAA’s all-time leader in completions (1,184) at the FCS level.
Following his playing career for the Purple and White, Moses spent one season at North Alabama as an offensive assistant on Terry Bowden’s coaching staff before returning to his alma mater.
CHASE HOLBROOK | RUNNING BACKS
Chase Holbrook came to Colorado State as part of Jay Novell's initial staff in January 2022 where he currently serves as an Offensive Analyst.
Prior to Fort Collins, Holbrook was at his alma mater New Mexico State for five seasons. He started at NM State in 2017 coaching tight ends before moving to quarterbacks and overseeing the signal-callers.
During Holbrook's playing days in Las Cruces from 2005-08, he rewrote the school record book and still owns several career records, including total offense (11,577), touchdowns responsible for (93), touchdowns thrown (85) and passing yards (11,846). Holbrook also holds the single-season records for total offense (4,541), touchdowns responsible for (38) and touchdowns thrown (34). Holbrook finished his collegiate playing career with a passing efficiency of 145.5, which ranks second in Aggie football history. He also holds the record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass with 17 spanning from the 2006-07 seasons.
As the tight ends coach in 2017, Holbrook helped the Aggies snap their 57-year bowl drought and defeat Utah State, 26-20, in overtime in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl. He led a group of talented young tight ends, including Bryce Roberts and Xander Yarberough, that combined for 11 receptions for 92 yards and three touchdowns.
Prior to returning to coach at his alma mater, Holbrook spent the 2016 season working under head coach Mike Leach at Washington State as a quality control coach. Holbrook served as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tarleton State in 2015, overseeing a group that accounted for 27 touchdowns and 2,750 yards of offense through the air.
While at New Mexico Highlands in 2014, Holbrook was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Cowboys averaged 487.5 yards a game that season, posting an average of 388.5 pass yards through the air. Quarterback Lance Orender thrived under the direction of Holbrook, passing for 38 touchdowns with 3,948 passing yards and a 139.90 passing efficiency in 2014.
Following his playing career, Holbrook joined McMurry football as the running backs coach prior to the 2009 season, In his five seasons with the War Hawks, he has also spent time as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. In his first season as quarterbacks coach in 2011, the War Hawks led Division III with 346 yards per game. As offensive coordinator in 2013, McMurry finished seventh in the nation in yards per game (523) and 24th in scoring (38.5 points per game).
Holbrook graduated from NM State in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in individualized studies. He and his wife Robin, a 2009 NM State alumna, have a daughter, Harlee, and a son, Hayes.
MIKE GOFF | ASSISTANT OFFENSIVE LINE COACH
BOBBY LAWRENCE | ASSISTANT OFFENSIVE LINE COACH
GARRETT MCCLURE | ASSISTANT WIDE RECEIVERS COACH