Lindley returns to San Diego State as quarterbacks coach

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Ryan Lindley, San Diego State's all-time passing leader, was hired Monday as quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, two days after offensive coordinator Jeff Hecklinski was fired.

Lindley had been a defensive analyst at Mississippi State the last two seasons. He takes over Hecklinski's duties of coaching the quarterbacks. Running backs coach Jeff Horton was promoted to offensive coordinator, a position he held with the Aztecs from 2015-19.

The shakeup came after the Aztecs passed for just 33 yards in a 35-13 loss at Boise State on Friday night. The Aztecs are ranked last in FBS passing offense.

Lindley was a four-year starter at SDSU from 2008-11. He set school passing records in yards (12,690), touchdowns (90), completions (961), attempts (1,732), starts (49) and consecutive starts (44). His record of 23 victories has since been broken.

Lindley was drafted in the sixth round by Arizona in 2012 and played in nine games for the Cardinals, making six starts. He played in one game for Indianapolis during the 2015 season. He was a graduate assistant with SDSU in 2018 and was running backs coach for the Cleveland Browns for part of 2018 and their quarterbacks coach in 2019. He was an offensive analyst at Utah in 2020.

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