Kansas State loses their offensive coordinator to the NFL.
We have hired Conor Riley as our offensive line coach https://t.co/mtD4h23usi
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) February 7, 2025
Conor Riley, Kansas State’s Co-Offensive coordinator, play caller, and offensive line coach is leaving the Wildcats after agreeing to become the Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach. Riley, a member of Coach Klieman’s original Kansas State staff, has helped establish the ‘Cats as one of the premier rushing teams in the nation. He has helped mold multiple all Big 12 linemen, including All-American and current Dallas Cowboy center Cooper Bebee. In his first and only season as the co-offensive coordinator and play caller in Manhattan, he helped orchestrate and offense that finished 11th in the nation in rushing yards. Speaking of reunions, Coach Riley should be reunited with K-State legend Deuce Vaughn (assuming Deuce stays put).
With Riley departing, Coach Klieman won’t have to look far for a replacement. If he’s so inclined, Klieman could simply remove the ‘Co’ from current Co-Offensive coordinator Matt Wells and call it a day. Wells, a former head coach at Utah State and Texas Tech has a wealth of experience and it should make for an easy transition without losing much in the way of continuity, both on the field and in recruiting.
An internal hire would make sense to fill the offensive line job as well. On multiple occasions, Coach Klieman raved about how valuable offensive analyst Drew Liddle was to the program last year. He helped out Coach Riley with the offensive line so Riley could focus on the entirety of the offense. Unlike Wells, Liddle doesn’t have as strong of a resume, but the former Kansas State player did assemble an impressive offensive line at Abilene Christian, helping Wildcats finish in the top 20 nationally in fewest sacks allowed and in the top 40 in rushing offense. He was also an Offensive Quality Control Coach and the Assistant Director of Recruiting for the K-State Wildcats from 2017-2020. Elevating Liddle wouldn’t be as easy of a decision as elevating Matt Wells to the Offensive Coordinator position, but it’s an option I wouldn’t be surprised to see come to fruition. I have no inside knowledge and could be way off, but it seems like a good fit for the program.
On one hand, it’s tough to lose your play-caller in back-to-back seasons, but if another team wants to give your coaches a raise, it means you must be doing something right.