Riley Lees - Director of Football Strategy/Special Assistant to the Head Coach - Football Support Staff

Riley Lees

Title:
Director of Football Strategy/Special Assistant to the Head Coach
Email:
football@msu.edu
Phone:
355-1647

A four-year letterwinner at Northwestern under head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Riley Lees is in his first year at Michigan State in 2026 as the director of football strategy/special assistant to the head coach.

Lees played at NU from 2016-20, lettering four seasons (2017-20) as a wide receiver and punt returner with the Wildcats while playing in 48 career games. He hauled in 111 receptions for 1,093 yards and nine touchdowns in his collegiate career, including a career-high 51 catches for 430 yards and two TDs as a redshirt junior in 2019.

Lees was a part of two Big Ten West Division title teams (2018, 2020) and played in three bowl games, concluding his career with a victory over Auburn in the 2021 Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day in which he caught a touchdown pass. He served as one of the captains his senior year on the 2020 team that finished 7-2 and ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll. Lees ranks among Northwestern’s all-time leaders in punt returns, ranking third in most punt returns (53) and sixth in punt return yards (378); he led the Wildcats in punt returns four consecutive seasons (2017-20). In the classroom, Lees was named to the 2021 National Football Foundation Honor Society and the Academic All-Big Ten Team in 2019 and 2020.

Originally from Libertyville, Illinois, Lees was a two-time all-state selection at Libertyville High School, helping the Wildcats to the state semifinals as a junior in 2014 and the 7A state title game as a senior in 2015. He totaled 4,437 yards and 68 touchdowns on the ground, 2,989 yards and 38 touchdowns through the air and 750 receiving yards and three TD catches during his high school career.

Following his playing career, Lees served as a graduate assistant on offense at Northwestern for two seasons (2022-23). He then spent two years as the director of football alumni engagement for the Wildcats (2024-25), establishing and maintaining relationships with Northwestern football alumni and helping players with their professional development through internships and job placement.

Lees earned his bachelor's degree in 2020 in learning and organizational change, and his master's degree in 2024 in sports administration, both from Northwestern.