Riley said he is just fine with returning to an assistant's role, noting he could have settled into it for the rest of his career after his time with the Saints.

He said that he feels good about his ability to help out and that he can also serve as a sounding board for Smith when needed.

"One thing I'll have is some perspective," Riley said. "This is a pretty big world, college football. A lot of stuff goes on, players, all the different parts of it. I've been through most of the situations you can just about name, and after you're in it for a while you encounter a lot of things that go on so I hope I can be of help in navigation of some of this as it goes forward."

Smith is taking on his first job as head coach but has been headed on this trajectory since graduating from OSU.

Riley wants to be a part of a new era of success for the Beavers.

"I think the first thing he wanted to do, which is right on spot, is get the right people here," Riley said. "And these things are triggered by the combination of good people, smart, good evaluation and recruitment and football coaching. You have to have all those things to make this thing work at any place. He already knows that and that's kind of philosophically what he's looking for."

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