LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Oregon State coach Mike Riley is leaving for Nebraska in a surprise to perhaps everybody except the man who did the hiring.
Athletic director Shawn Eichorst ended his one-man search with the announcement Thursday that the 61-year-old Riley would replace Bo Pelini, who was fired Sunday. Riley will be introduced at a news conference in Lincoln on Friday.
Riley has spent 14 seasons over two tenures at Oregon State, leading the Beavers to a 93-80 record and wins in six of eight bowl games.
“It is truly an honor to join the University of Nebraska family,” Riley said in a statement. “Though we love Corvallis and Oregon State, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to coach at one of the nation’s most storied football programs and I can’t wait to get started.”
Riley’s name never appeared on the radar of college football pundits who speculated about Pelini’s successor. Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost, a Nebraska native who quarterbacked the Cornhuskers’ 1997 national championship team, and Arkansas coach Bret Bielema were among those believed to be under consideration.
“Definitely out of left field,” Fox Sports analyst Charles Davis said. “I had no idea he would be interested in leaving Oregon State. He has one big run left in him as a head football coach, and Nebraska is a great place to try to have that final run. I’m a big believer that you’ve got everything you need at Nebraska, and if you do the job, rewards can be big-time.”
Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell tweeted that the hiring is a “home run.”
“I don’t think Huskers fans realize what a well-respected game coach Riley is and how hard it is to win in Corvallis,” Farrell wrote.
Nebraska, with no natural recruiting base, always has had to look far and wide for its players, and Riley has strong ties in talent-rich California. He also built a reputation for doing more with less at Oregon State.