High School

Southlake Carroll football coach Riley Dodge hired as assistant coach at SMU

Former Southlake Carroll quarterback picked up 108 wins at his alma mater

Cody Thorn

Southlake Carroll coach Riley Dodge talks with an official after a penalty in the first quarter of a UIL football Class 6A game against Haslet V.R. Eaton at Northwest ISD Stadium in Justin on Thursday, Oct. 9,
Southlake Carroll coach Riley Dodge talks with an official after a penalty in the first quarter of a UIL football Class 6A game against Haslet V.R. Eaton at Northwest ISD Stadium in Justin on Thursday, Oct. 9, / Cody Thorn

Southlake Carroll football coach Riley Dodge is jumping to the college ranks.

Pete Thamel posted on X that SMU is hiring the head coach to be the tight ends coach and pass-game coordinator.

Dodge later made a post on social media about the change on Christmas Eve.

SMU has not made a post about the hiring. They will play Arizona on January 2 in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl in San Diego.

Dodge racked up career win No. 100 this year against Haslet V.R. Eaton in October.

He was given a helmet with stars representing 82 regular-season wins and 18 playoff wins following the game.

"It means you've been in a place for a little bit and had amazing coaches and amazing players," he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It probably means so much more, personally, doing it in my hometown and at my alma mater. I love this place today just like I did on Day 1, eight years ago."

Dominating Dragons 

In his 8 years at the helm, he was 108-10 overall and went to the state finals twice. He lost to his dad, Todd, when he was at Austin Westlake in 2021. Last year, Dodge guided the Dragons to a runner-up finish in the Class 6A Division 2 finals against Austin Vandegrift.

This year, the Dragons were 14-1 and reached the semifinals. They lost 57-44 to DeSoto in the semifinals in Mansfield, giving up 28 points in the fourth quarter to the eventual state champions.

The Dragons were No. 1 throughout most of the season and the highest-ranked Texas team in our national poll going into the postseason.

His tenure features numerous Division 1 prospects. This year’s roster included wide receiver Brock Boyd (Ohio State), quarterback Angelo Renda (Pittsburgh), defensive back/kicker Gavin Strange (Duke), punter Zac Hays (TCU), defensive back William Chen (Brown) and offensive lineman Carey Clayton (Memphis).

He’s also coached current Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers and Los Angeles Chargers defensive back RJ Mickens.

SMU role

Dodge will help fill the void left when SMU offensive coordinator and tight end coach Casey Woods was hired to be the new coach at Missouri State.

The SMU coaching roster also lists Rob Likens and Garin Justice as co-offensive coordinators.

The Mustangs roster this year features two former Dragons: long snapper Brock O’Quinn, a redshirt sophomore and senior tight end RJ Maryland. He’s the son of former No. 1 overall draft pick Russell Maryland.

High School Standout 

Dodge played quarterback at Southlake Carroll for his father, throwing for more than 7,000 yards and 92 touchdowns and was a two-time 5A offensive player of the year. He signed to play quarterback for North Texas in the 2008 season, where his dad was the head coach after leaving Southlake.

He left North Texas and later played at McNeese State.

His coaching career started as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M and then as a quality control and assistant quarterback coach at Texas from 2015, according to Southlake Style. He returned to the DFW area and was an assistant coach at Edward S. Marcus High School in Flower Mound and later at Justin Northwest before being hired at Southlake as the head coach in 2018.

At the time of his hiring, he was 29.

Another one 

He is the second prominent head coach in the Dallas-Fort Worth to take a college job. 

North Crowley head coach Ray Gates announced he would step down and take an assistant position at North Texas under new coach Neal Brown.

Gates guided North Crowley to the Class 6A Division 1 championship in 2024. His Panthers made the quarterfinals this year and were a semifinalist in 2023.

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Cody Thorn
CODY THORN

Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.

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