Colorado State will hire Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild as its new football coach, sources told ESPN's Steve Cyphers and ESPN.com's Pat Forde.

Sonny Lubick, who coached CSU for 15 years, was relieved of his duties last month after he declined to step down and accept a position as an associate athletic director.

An official announcement was expected Wednesday afternoon, The Associated Press reported.

Fairchild, who played quarterback at CSU, returned to his alma mater as quarterbacks coach under Lubick in 1993 and was named offensive coordinator in 1997.

He was promoted to offensive coordinator at CSU in 1997 and stayed in that position until he went to Buffalo in 2001 to work for Gregg Williams as running backs coach.

Fairchild was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the St. Louis Rams from 2003-05 before returning to Buffalo last season to serve as the Bills' offensive coordinator.

Fairchild, a native of Decatur, Ill., was a second-team all-Western Athletic Conference selection.

Lubick was asked by athletic director Paul Kowalczyk to step down a few days before the Rams' season-ending win over Wyoming Nov. 23. But Lubick refused to step aside because he did not want to quit on his team, which finished 3-9 this season. Lubick wanted a chance to turn it back around.

Kowalczyk extended an olive branch to Lubick, attempting to bring him back as a fundraiser and goodwill ambassador. Lubick isn't sure what he wants to do yet.