Troy Walters

• 2017 Broyles Award Finalist (Nation's Top Assistant Coach)

Troy Walters enters his third season as Nebraska's offensive coordinator in 2020 and his fifth consecutive season serving as Scott Frost’s offensive coordinator. A 2017 Broyles Award finalist, Walters is in his 12th year overall as an assistant, including his 11th season at the FBS level and ninth season at a Power Five school.

Walters has coordinated a top-25 offense in two of the last three seasons, guiding the nation's fifth-most improved offense at Nebraska in 2018 and the country's most-improved unit at UCF in 2017. In addition to his achievements as an offensive coordinator, Walters has excelled as a wide receivers coach. 

In 10 seasons coaching wide receivers at the FBS level, Walters has produced seven 1,000-yard receivers, including the first 1,000-yard receiver at both Nebraska and Texas A&M. Walters' wideouts also set season and career receiving yards and receptions records at Colorado, Nebraska and Texas A&M.

Walters himself is the all-time leading receiver in Pac-12 Conference history, and he was the 1999 Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver. Walters is the only active coach in college football who was also a Biletnikoff Award winner.

Nebraska (2018-19)

Walters led Nebraska to a No. 25 ranking in total offense in 2018, the Huskers' first top-25 finish in that category since 2008. The No. 25 ranking was a 62-spot improvement from the unit Walters inherited, as Nebraska ranked 87th nationally in total offense in 2017. The Huskers were the nation's fifth-most improved offense in 2018 and featured the country's third-most improved rushing attack. NU gained 500 or more yards five times - the program's highest total since 2000 - and the Huskers set a school record by gaining 450 yards in seven consecutive games.

Nebraska also set records for its highest point total in a Big Ten Conference game (54 vs. Illinois) and its most total yards in a Big Ten game (659 vs. Minnesota), both of which were matched or equaled in 2019. Walters helped the Huskers top the 30-point mark in four consecutive conference games for the first time since 2001. Nebraska also totaled 2,500 passing yards and 2,500 rushing yards in the same season for just the fourth time in school history. Individually, six Husker offensive players earned all-conference accolades, tying for the most offensive honorees since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011.

As a position coach, Walters helped a pair of all-conference wideouts set five school records in 2018. Stanley Morgan Jr. become the first 1,000-yard receiver in Nebraska history and ended his career as the Huskers' all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. Morgan also set a Nebraska wide receiver record with 70 receptions in 2018, while JD Spielman ranked second on that list with 66 catches. Spielman also posted Nebraska's single-game receiving yards record with 209 yards at Wisconsin. 

In 2019, Walters again oversaw a balanced offensive attack, as Nebraska averaged more than 200 yards rushing and passing per game. NU, which faced three of the nation's top 10 scoring defenses, scored more than 30 points in six of its 12 games, including matching its highest-scoring Big Ten game with 54 points at Maryland. Nebraska also totaled 690 yards of offense against Illinois, its most yards ever in a Big Ten game, eclipsing the record of 659 yards set the previous season against Minnesota. Walters led a high-powered offense that was also one of the nation's youngest units, as Nebraska's top six rushers and five of the top seven receivers were all in either their first or second year in the Husker program.

Nebraska's wide receivers also put together a productive year in 2019. Spielman led the Huskers with a career-high 898 receiving yards, averaging more than 18 yards per reception. Despite splitting time at running back, Wan'Dale Robinson set Nebraska true freshman records with 40 catches and 453 receiving yards. As a unit, Husker wideouts averaged nearly 15.0 yards per reception under Walters' tutelage in 2019.

Before Nebraska

UCF: Walters’ offense played a major role in UCF posting the greatest two-year turnaround in NCAA history. Walters inherited an offense that ranked 125th nationally in scoring offense (13.9 ppg) and 127th in total offense (268.4 ypg). Two years later, UCF led the nation in scoring in 2017 and ranked fifth in total offense, and the Knights boasted the nation's most improved offense. In Walters’ two seasons, UCF increased its scoring production by nearly 35 points per game and its total offense output by more than 270 yards per game.

In 2017, Walters was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award, presented annually to the nation’s top assistant coach. UCF led the country in scoring at 48.2 points per game, and the Knights were the only team to score at least 30 points in every game en route to a perfect 13-0 season. UCF also ranked fifth nationally in total offense with an average of 530.5 yards per game. The Knights recorded more than 600 yards of offense four times, including 727 yards in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game victory over No. 16 Memphis. UCF also topped the 60-point mark a nation-leading four times, including 62 points in the conference title game.

UCF ranked fifth nationally in completion percentage in 2017, ninth in rushing touchdowns and 10th in passing. The Knights demonstrated their balance and explosiveness by ranking in the top 25 nationally in both yards per pass and yards per rush.

Individually, quarterback McKenzie Milton was the 2017 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was one of seven UCF offensive players to earn all-conference honors. Milton ranked second nationally in passing efficiency, was fourth in completion percentage, total offense and touchdown passes and seventh in passing yards.

Walters also coached the Knight wide receivers, and he excelled in that area as well. All-AAC pick Tre’Quan Smith was fourth nationally in receiving touchdowns in 2017 and 12th in receiving yards. Smith declared for the NFL Draft following his junior season and was a third-round selection.

In Walters' first season in 2016, UCF improved 59 spots in scoring offense, averaging 15 more points per game than from the 2015 season. The Knights ranked 12th nationally in red zone offense, and Smith totaled 57 catches for 853 yards and five touchdowns.

COLORADO: Walters’ receivers posted the top three single-season reception totals in Colorado history and the top two receiving yardage totals in his three seasons. As recruiting coordinator, Walters played a key role in recruiting players that helped the Buffaloes win 10 games in 2016, play in the Pac-12 Championship Game and finish with a No. 17 final ranking.

Nelson Spruce set 41 school records, including Colorado’s all-time marks in receptions (294), receiving yards (3,347) and receiving touchdowns (23). Spruce was a two-time All-Pac-12 performer and was one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award in 2014. In 2015, Spruce ranked 12th nationally in receptions per game and set school records with 106 catches and 12 receiving touchdowns. Walters also coached Paul Richardson to first-team all-conference accolades in 2014, when Richardson set a school record with 1,343 receiving yards and was the first Buffalo wide receiver to earn first-team all-conference honors in nearly 20 years. 

NORTH CAROLINA STATE: Walters was the receivers coach at NC State in 2012, when the Wolfpack ranked 18th nationally with more than 310 receiving yards per game. Three different receivers had at least 44 catches and 620 receiving yards, and North Carolina State had two receivers record 50 catches in the same season for just the fourth time in program history. Walters' wideouts helped quarterback Mike Glennon post the second-most passing yards (4,031), passing touchdowns (31) and completions (330) in school history. 

TEXAS A&M: Walters coached receivers for the first time in the FBS ranks for two seasons at Texas A&M in 2010 and 2011. With the Aggies, Ryan Swope and Jeff Fuller both set the school record with 72 receptions in 2010, and Fuller set the program record with 1,066 receiving yards. Swope then broke both records with 89 catches and 1,207 yards in 2011.

INDIANA STATE: Walters began his career as Indiana State’s offensive coordinator in 2009, and he also coached the quarterbacks and receivers.

Playing Career (Stanford & NFL)

Walters set Stanford all-time records with 244 receptions, 3,986 yards and 19 100-yard receiving games in his four-year career from 1996 to 1999. He also set Stanford season records with 86 catches in 1997 and 1,456 receiving yards in 1999. Walters ranks second in Cardinal history with 26 career touchdown receptions, and he had a school-record 278 receiving yards against UCLA in 1999. 

In the Pac-12 record book – which includes bowl statistics – Walters is credited with 4,047 career receiving yards, the most in conference history. He was a consensus All-American, the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and the Biletnikoff Award winner as a senior in 1999, when Stanford won its first conference title since 1971.

Following Stanford, Walters was selected in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played eight seasons in the NFL and totaled 98 catches for 1,135 yards and nine touchdowns with more than 3,800 return yards.