DeNarius McGhee is in his first season as Utah State’s pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach. In all, McGhee brings 11 years of coaching experience with him to USU, including spending the past five years in the NFL.
McGhee came to Utah State after spending the 2024 season as the assistant wide receivers coach for the New Orleans Saints. His wide receivers group averaged 219.4 yards per game and caught 21 touchdowns, amassing 1,836 yards after contact.
He also spent four years as an offensive assistant with the Houston Texans, including being a member of the 2023 staff that helped Houston improve from a 3-13-1 record in 2022 to winning the AFC South Division title and capturing an AFC Wild Card Playoff victory over Cleveland. As a team, Houston finished the regular season with the fewest giveaways in the NFL (14) and its passing attack ranked second in the NFL in pass plays over 25 yards (41).
Houston's offensive attack blossomed with the development of several key offensive contributors. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud captured Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, completing 319-of-499 passes for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and a 100.8 passer rating. A pair of young wideouts also developed in Nico Collins and Tank Dell. In his third season, Collins had the best season of his career with 80 catches for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns with a franchise-record 25 receptions of 20-plus yards. As a rookie, Dell finished with 47 receptions for 709 yards and seven touchdowns through the first 11 games before suffering a season-ending injury.
McGhee came to Houston after three seasons (2017-19) on staff at his alma mater, Montana State. He coached quarterbacks in 2017 and running backs from 2018-19, capped off by an 11-win campaign in 2019 that marked the Bobcats' first season with double-digit wins since he quarterbacked the team in 2012. McGhee also served as a recruiting coordinator in his final season with the program.
McGhee also received his first NFL coaching experience when he served a Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship in 2018 training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs.
During his time in the NFL, McGhee coached Laremy Tunsil, a 2020 Pro Bowl Selection, along with standouts Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Collins and Dell.
McGhee spent two seasons (2015-16) as a graduate assistant at North Carolina State after he began his coaching career as a quality control coach at Florida Atlantic in 2014.
A four-year starter at Montana State, McGhee is the all-time winningest quarterback. He holds program records in career passing yards (11,203) and touchdowns (79) and remains the only player in program history to win Big Sky MVP twice (2010 and 2012). He led the Bobcats to conference championships in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and garnered All-American recognition as a freshman (2010) and junior (2012). McGhee played for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2014 before starting his coaching career.
McGhee, who is a native of Euless, Texas, but was born in and spent his formative years in McComb, Mississippi, graduated from Montana State in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in business management and marketing.
He and his wife Alethia have three children: sons Xzavier and Zion; and daughter Grace.
DENARIUS MCGHEE FILE
Coaching History
2025- Utah State – Wide Receivers/Pass Game Coordinator
2024 New Orleans Saints – Assistant Wide Receivers
2020-23 Houston Texans – Offensive Assistant
2018-19 Montana State – Running Backs
2017 Montana State – Quarterbacks
2015-16 North Carolina State – Offensive Quality Control
2014 Florida Atlantic – Offensive Graduate Assistant
Bowl Games (2)
North Carolina State (2): 2016 Independence Bowl; 2015 Belk Bowl
FCS Playoffs (2)
Montana State (2): 2019, Semifinals; 2018 Second Round
NFL Playoffs (1)
Houston Texans (1) – 2023, Divisional Round
Playing Experience
2014 Saskatchewan Roughriders
2010-13 Montana State
Education
2014 Montana State – Business Management & Marketing (Bachelor’s)
Family
Wife, Alethia; Sons, Xzavier and Zion; Daughter, Grace
