CORVALLIS -- Following a three-year hiatus, Mike Riley is back at Oregon State.

Riley will return as an assistant head coach under Jonathan Smith, the school announced Thursday, reuniting the longtime OSU head coach with Smith -- the former quarterback he recruited as a walk-on in 1997.

The return will mark Riley's third time on the Beavers coaching staff, although his official assignment has not yet been determined.

Riley, 64, has the most wins by any head football coach in Oregon State history. He compiled a 93-80 record during two stints from 1997-98 and 2003-14. His last tenure ended when he left OSU to take the head coaching job at Nebraska, where he went 19-19 in three seasons.

In an interview with the Omaha World-Herald after his Nov. 25 firing, Riley said he wouldn't mind being on a coaching staff as a secondary or quarterbacks coach, saying that he still felt young and had the energy to do it.

"If there's a fit somewhere -- coach or consult -- yeah, that'd be awesome," Riley told the newspaper. "But it has to be the right fit for (Smith)."

Riley coached Smith for two seasons before he left OSU for the first time and became head coach of the San Diego Chargers. Riley returned in 2003 after his replacement, Dennis Erickson, became the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Smith, who set multiple passing records at OSU from 1997-2001, joined Erickson's staff as a graduate assistant in 2002 and remained under Riley in 2003 before becoming quarterbacks coach at Idaho in 2004.

"Current and former players thriving in the NFL and in life are proof of Coach Riley's tremendous ability to recruit outstanding young men," Smith said in a statement. "He understands what it takes to win in this conference, and how to evaluate and develop student-athletes. There is no one better to have represent OSU in the homes of recruits as we build this program."

During his introductory press conference on Nov. 30, Smith credited Riley for developing his knowledge of football schematics and talent evaluation skills.

When asked if he was considering adding Riley or Erickson to his staff in some capacity, Smith smiled and said, "I haven't gotten that far with those guys."

There are 15 players from the 2017 Oregon State roster whom Mike Riley recruited and who have eligibility remaining.

The announcement of Riley's return to Corvallis came as OSU also announced four other hires on Smith's staff.

OSU confirmed the hirings of former Colorado co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren and former Arizona offensive line coach Jim Michalczik. Lindgren will be the Beavers' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, while Michalczik will serve as the associate head coach, offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Michalczik previously coached at OSU from 1999-2001.

Jake Cookus has been retained as special teams coordinator after spending the past two seasons with the previous staff as the special teams quality control coach. The Roseburg native was a safety with the Beavers from 1998-2001.

Oregon State additionally added Mike McDonald as the team's strength and conditioning coach. McDonald has been the strength and conditioning coach under coach Chris Petersen for the past nine seasons at Boise State (2009-14) and Washington (2014-17). Smith joined Petersen's staff at Boise State as quarterbacks coach in 2012 and also followed him to Washington.

Long-time Oregon State staff member Dan Van De Riet will also return as director of football operations.

The Beavers have yet to announce any defensive staff hires.

The Oregonian/OregonLive and other outlets have reported Oregon State is expected to add former Beavers linebacker Trent Bray to the staff in a yet-to-be determined role. Bray, a former linebackers coach at Oregon State and Nebraska, was an Erickson recruit who played for Riley from 2004-05.

Oregon defensive backs coach and former Oregon State cornerback Keith Heyward remains a viable option to join the staff, according to sources who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

An OSU athletic department spokesman told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Thursday that interim head coach and cornerbacks coach Cory Hall has continued working for the program since Smith was hired, although he did not immediately respond for comment on Hall's role with the team.

-- Danny Moran