Conor Riley is entering his first season as the Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach, bringing 22 years of collegiate coaching experience to new head coach Brian Schottenheimer's staff.
Widely regarded as one of the top college offensive line coaches in the country, Riley comes to Dallas after six seasons at Kansas State. He was the Wildcats offensive line coach from 2019-23 before adding the offensive coordinator role in 2024.
In 2024, his only season as offensive coordinator, Kansas State averaged 30.8 points-per-game and ranked second in the Big 12 - 11th in FBS - in rushing offense (215.5 yards-per-game). Under Riley, running back DJ Giddens ranked fourth in the conference with 1,343 rushing yards, while dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson finished with the second-most rushing yards (739) among Big 12 quarterbacks.
In each of his six seasons as the Wildcats offensive line coach, Riley's front surrendered fewer than 2.0 sacks-per-game, the only Big 12 team and one-of-nine FBS programs to hold a streak of at least six years allowing less than 2.0 sacks-per-game. From 2019-24, Kansas State also led the Big 12 in rushing yards (15,909).
Riley was instrumental in developing former Wildcat offensive lineman - and current Dallas Cowboy - Cooper Beebe. Under Riley, Beebe was named the 2022 and 2023 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year along with earning Consensus All-America honors in 2023, the first offensive lineman in school history to earn the distinction. Along with Beebe, fellow Wildcat offensive lineman KT Leveston was drafted in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the LA Rams.
In 2023 Wildcat offensive linemen Hayden Gillum, Beebe, Leveston and Carver Willis were all named to the All-Big 12 team, the fourth time in Riley's six seasons on staff that he coached at least three linemen to All-Conference honors.
Prior to Kansas State, Riley spent six seasons at North Dakota State. After coaching tight ends and fullbacks in 2013, Riley moved to offensive line for the final five years in Fargo, N.D., and also became the Bison's run game coordinator in 2017 and 2018. While Riley was at North Dakota State, the Bison won five national championships.
Each of Riley's six years on staff at North Dakota State, the Bison averaged at least 235 rushing yards-per-game and ranked in the top-10 nationally in rushing offense. North Dakota State also resided in the top-10 in time of possession in three of Riley's five years coaching the offensive line, including leading the nation in 2015 (36:38).
Riley spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons as the offensive line coach at Sacramento State, and prior to his time on the west coast, he was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at his alma mater, Omaha, from 2007-10.
A 2003 gradaute of Nebraska-Omaha, Riley began his coaching career at Nebraska-Omaha as a graduate assistant from 2003-05. He left his alma mater to become the offensive line coach at Concordia-St. Paul in 2006.
Riley is an Omaha, Neb., native and played offensive line at the collegiate level, starting his career at the U.S. Air Force Academy, then transferred to Kansas before heading to Nebraska-Omaha in 1999.
He and his wife, Christy, have two daughters, Cate and Claire.
