It was last February when former Appalachian State coach Eli Drinkwitz spoke highly of his newest addition to the coaching staff, Garrett Riley.

"We're looking to be cutting edge on offense," Drinkwitz said, "and we expect him to continue to push that."

In December, Drinkwitz left to become the head coach at Missouri. Earlier this month, Riley -- the younger brother of Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley -- was promoted to become Appalachian State's offensive coordinator in 2020 after coaching the running backs in 2019.

Days later, he's now headed to the Hilltop. Riley accepted the vacant offensive coordinator position for SMU and now will learn under Sonny Dykes, a coaching mentor of Riley's older brother.