Chad Staggs was named ETSU's new defensive coordinator by Head Coach Will Healy on December 24, 2024. Staggs joins Healy's staff after spending the 2024 season as a senior defensive analyst for Western Kentucky. Staggs helped Western Kentucky qualify for a bowl appearance in the Boca Raton Bowl against James Madison. He helped the Hilltopper defense rank among the best in the country in causing turnovers finishing seventh with 26. WKU also finished 15th in interceptions and seventh with 11 fumble recoveries.
Prior to his time with the Hilltoppers, Staggs was the Defensive Coordinator for Georgia State in 2023 and held the same position at Coastal Carolina for four seasons before that.
In 2023, Staggs helped Georgia State post a 7-6 record and claim a 45-22 victory over Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Prior to his time at Georgia State, Staggs worked at Coastal Carolina as Defensive Coordinator. He helped the Chanticleers go 31-7 over the last three seasons and served as interim head coach for the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.
Staggs, who was a Broyles Award semifinalist in 2020, has worked as a Defensive Coordinator across all levels of college football, including stops at North Greenville (Division III), Delta State (Division II), Charleston Southern (FCS), and Furman (FCS), before joining Coastal Carolina in February 2019 as Linebackers Coach and being promoted to Defensive Coordinator in July 2019. He also coached the inside linebackers in 2019-20 and the safeties in 2021-22.
In 2020, Staggs’ defense played a pivotal role in the Chanticleers' 11-1 season, Sun Belt Conference title and national rankings that reached as high as No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25. The CCU defense ranked No. 19 in FBS in scoring defense, No. 31 in total defense, No. 16 in pass efficiency defense and No. 9 in turnover margin.
Staggs helped mentor three All-Americans on defense in Tarron Jackson, a consensus first-team selection in 2020, as well as C.J. Brewer (2020), and Josaiah Stewart (2021). Jackson, also a finalist for the Lombardi Award, the Lott IMPACT Trophy, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
In 2021, Staggs' unit ranked in the Top 25 of FBS in total defense and scoring defense, led by All-American Josiah Stewart who ranked fifth in the nation with 12.5 sacks as true freshman.
Staggs went to Coastal in 2019 after two years as Furman’s defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2017-18. In 2018, he helped the Paladins earn a share of the 2018 Southern Conference championship by winning six of their final seven games.
He mentored freshman bandit Adrian Hope, who led the FCS in sacks, earned All-America honors and was a finalist for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award, as the top freshman in FCS.
In 2017, Staggs defense led the SoCon with 34 sacks to help the Paladins to an 8-5 record, the program’s first FCS playoff berth since 2013, and a consensus No. 20 final ranking in the FCS poll.
Prior to his two years at Furman, Staggs served as the defensive coordinator for four seasons at Charleston Southern, including two seasons tutoring the linebackers and two with the defensive backs. His defenses played a major role in the Buccaneers winning 35 games, claiming two Big South Conference Championships and earning Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff berths in both 2015 and 2016.
His CSU defenses produced some impressive statistics, ranking seventh nationally in total defense in 2016 and ninth in 2015.
In Staggs’ first season as defensive coordinator in 2013, the Bucs posted a 10-3 record and a No. 22 final FCS national ranking, highlighted by a 27-24 road win at Appalachian State.
Staggs served as defensive coordinator at Delta State for the 2012 season after working in the same capacity at North Greenville for three years from 2009-11. In his third season on the Crusaders’ staff, he added the title of assistant head coach and was a central figure in North Greenville’s run to the 2011 NCAA Division II playoff quarterfinals.
He had a brief stint at Charleston Southern in 2008, coaching the Buccaneers’ secondary while also assisting with special teams.
He spent five seasons as a graduate assistant at South Carolina (2003-07) under former national championship head coaches Steve Spurrier and Lou Holtz, working with the secondary and linebackers, as well as the scout team.
Staggs began his coaching career as an assistant at Lexington (S.C.) High School from 2000-02.
He graduated from USC Upstate in 2000 with a degree in math education and also holds a master’s degree in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management from the University of South Carolina.
He and his wife, Kelli, have two children, Gracie and Jack.
