Adrian Riley enters into his first season at Arkansas Tech and will serve as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator.
Riley comes to Tech from Adams State University where he spent seven seasons in various roles with the Grizzles. Beginning his coaching career in 2018 as a graduate assistant wide receivers coach, Riley would be promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach ahead of the 2021 season.
In his first year at Adams State, Riley helped mentor a pair of wideouts that combined for over 2,300 yards on 172 receptions. Those receivers, Chad Hovasse and Marquese Surrell, both went over 1,000 yards that season and combined for 29 touchdown receptions. Hovasse would go on to be named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Offensive Player of the Year as well as a nominee for the Harlon Hill Award and a Second Team All-American.
2019 saw Riley once more mentor a Grizzles’ wide receiver into the RMAC Offensive Player of the Year as Tariq Bitson garnered the honor with over 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns on 63 total receptions across just nine games. Bitson would also go on to earn Second Team All-America honors that year.
The 2020 season was not played due to COVID, but the season after is when Riley was given the reins of the offense as its coordinator. Riley would go on to hold that role for the next four seasons.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Riley was a three-year starting wide receiver at Jacksonville University.
In his final season at JU in 2013, Riley ranked 11th in the country in punt return average and was named Second Team All-Pioneer League as a punt returner. He still holds JU’s second longest punt return for touchdown at 76 yards and holds JU’s second longest streak of consecutive games with a catch at 28.
Riley obtained his bachelor’s degree in finance with a minor in management from Jacksonville University (FL) in 2013 and later earned his master’s degree from Adams State (CO) in Business leadership in 2019.
