Spokesman.com
Self-published book, NFL gig: Noah Riley's unusual route from Whitworth
Noah Riley almost fell out of his car during a Zoom call. That was the moment John Harbaugh popped up on screen and offered him a job with the Ravens. It's the kind of story that sounds made up, but it's real, and it's how a Whitworth QB who self-published a book about the 2018 Oklahoma offense ended up in the NFL.
Riley sent his resume and a digital copy of that book to every team. Only Baltimore and Seattle wrote back. He spent four seasons with the Ravens, working his way from coaching research intern to football analyst, then followed Harbaugh to the Giants as a quality control coach. That's a fast climb, even in the post-COVID world where everything moves quicker.
The guy's path reads like a road trip: Spokane to Portland to San Mateo to Baltimore to New York. And he's got the coaching gene deep in his blood, brother David runs the WSU hoops program, uncle Mike Riley coached at Oregon State and Nebraska. Their family reunions are basically games.
What sticks is how Riley got the job. Not through a fancy connection. He figured out the email format for every NFL staff and sent his work. That's pure Pullman resourcefulness, even if his degree came from Lewis and Clark. For more on how the Riley family keeps showing out, check our story on the first 2027 Coug commit. Go Cougs.
