San Diego State Football: Ryan Lindley Named Offensive Coordinator
The record-setting Aztec quarterback takes on a crucial role at his alma mater.
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A program legend takes on a new task.
The San Diego State Aztecs announced on Tuesday that Ryan Lindley, who holds numerous records as one of the greatest quarterbacks in program history, has been elevated to the offensive coordinator role to replace the retired Jeff Horton.
Lindley first etched his name into San Diego State lore as a four-year starter under Chuck Long and then Brady Hoke from 2008 to 2011, playing a major role in kickstarting a program which had previously been stuck in a decades-long slump. In 2010, he led the Aztecs to a nine-win season for the first time in over thirty years, capped by a Poinsettia Bowl victory which at that point represented the team’s first postseason victory since 1969.
After being selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, he made six starts over the following four years before brief stints with the Indianapolis Colts and the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks capped his professional playing career.
He transitioned to coaching in 2018 at San Diego State, where he first worked as a graduate assistant before returning to the NFL to work with the Cleveland Browns as a quarterbacks coach and running backs coach across 2018 and 2019. He then spent time as an analyst under Kyle Whittingham at Utah in 2020 and under Mike Leach in the past two seasons.
Lindley had returned to the Mesa yet again last October, working with the Aztec quarterbacks and helping to shepherd Jalen Mayden’s emergence in the second half of 2022. He’ll inherit a unit that has often struggled in recent years, finishing no higher than 91st by points per drive and 80th by available yards percentage per drive since 2018.
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