Daric Riley joins ECU football staff as safeties coach

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Daric Riley has been named safeties coach at East Carolina University according to an announcement from head football coach Scottie Montgomery on Friday.

His appointment to the Pirates' staff ends a three-season stay at SMU where he served as a quality control assistant and special teams analyst. Riley owns 19 overall years of coaching experience, including 12 at the Division I level and 11 working directly with the defensive secondary.

“We're excited about having an individual with Daric's credentials and wide range of experience on our staff,” Montgomery said. "He is a perfect fit with a significant change in our defensive philosophy and point of attack, plus his familiarity with our conference and this particular region of the country will only enhance our recruiting efforts.”

While with the Mustangs, Riley helped a unit which rated among the nation's best in blocked kicks with statistical ranks of seventh, 23rd and 11th in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. He also was part of a SMU program which made a DXL Frisco Bowl appearance in 2017 before finishing with a 7-6 record.

Riley was special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach under Bill Clark at UAB in 2014, a season in which the Blazers reached bowl eligible status for the first time in 10 years.

He served in a similar role for Clark at Jacksonville (Ala.) State during the 2013 campaign after spending the two previous years as secondary coach and special teams coordinator at Newberry (S.C.) College.

From 2007 to 2010, Riley worked as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Clemson under head coaches Tommy Bowden and Dabo Swinney and experienced postseason appearances in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Gator Bowl, Music City Bowl and Meineke Car Care Bowl as well as the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game.

Prior to assisting with the secondary and outside linebackers at Clemson, he was Truman (Mo.) State's defensive backs coach and had oversight of special teams from 2004 to 2006 after holding the same position during an earlier stint at Newberry in 2003.

Riley wore many hats during a two-and-a-half year stay at Pikeville (Ky.), serving as the Bears' secondary coach, special teams coordinator, strength coach and recruiting coordinator from 2001 to 2003. Additionally, he spent time on the offensive side of the ball as quarterbacks and wide receivers coach.

He guided the Fairfield (Conn.) secondary a season earlier and played a key role in the Staggs' nation-leading 30 interceptions and the development of free safety Steve Dogmantis, an Associated Press All-America and Metro Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Year selection.

Riley began his coaching career at alma mater Charleston Southern as a defensive graduate assistant (1999) and outside linebackers coach (2000) under David Dowd. As a player with the Buccaneers, he was a three-year letterman.

A native of Beaufort, S.C., Riley earned bachelor's degrees in psychology and physical education from CSU in 1999 before adding a master's in youth development leadership from Clemson in 2009.

He and his wife Kathy are the parents of daughter Dylan.