Report: West Virginia assistant Chad Scott emerges as leading candidate for Texas RB's coach

West Virginia’s Chad Scott has emerged as a leading candidate for the running backs coach opening at Texas, according to a report from Matt Zenitz of 247sports.com. Scott has worked at West Virginia since 2019, including as WVU’s offensive coordinator in 2023 and 2024 under Neal Brown. Scott helped WVU rank in the Top 10 among Power Four teams in rushing in each of the last two seasons.

Scott has done an exceptional job developing the running backs during his time in Morgantown. He’s worked with Leddie Brown, CJ Donaldson, Jahiem White, and others. It was his decision to move Donaldson from tight end to running back.

And the transition worked out beautifully, with Donaldson blossoming into one of the best tailbacks in the Big 12 the past few years. Not only that, but the electrifying playmaker has also made quite the splash on special teams. In the 2022 Backyard Brawl against Pittsburgh, Donaldson introduced himself to fans in a big way, blocking a punt and scoring a touchdown in the biggest game of the season.

In the past three seasons combined, Donaldson totaled over 1,900 rushing yards with Scott as his position coach, showcasing his skills as one of the more dependable backs in the league. He has now moved onto the Ohio State Buckeyes in the portal, but Scott’s impact on his career remains.

WVU running back Jahiem White had an outstanding freshman campaign in 2023, tallying 842 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Most of those came in the latter half of the season. He also racked up over 800 rushing yards in 2024.

White is yet another player on the WVU roster that has noted his close relationship with Scott was a reason that he did not enter the transfer portal in the offseason, according to a Sports Illustrated article from Schuyler Callihan.

When Rich Rodriguez was recently brought back to Morgantown as the head coach, he had initially only planned to keep Blaine Stewart on the staff. The rest of his new coaching staff were going to be new personnel, not from Neal Brown’s staff. But after sitting down with Chad Scott, Rodriguez offered him the chance to stay at WVU, which he accepted.

“I have an appreciation and respect for the job that Chad [Scott] has done here at West Virginia,” Rodriguez said in a press release. “He brings a high level of energy and has a history of building relationships and developing players. I look forward to having him as a member of our staff.”

Before joining West Virginia, Chad Scott spent a brief stint with Louisville as their running backs coach (2019). Before there, he had stops with the North Carolina Tar Heels (2016-2018), Kentucky Wildcats (2013-2015), Texas Tech Red Raiders (2010-2012), and the Troy Trojans (2007-2009).