Riley Lees

Biography

A four-year letterwinner at Northwestern under head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Riley Lees is in his first year at Michigan State in 2026 as the director of football strategy/special assistant to the head coach. Lees played at NU from 2016-20, lettering four seasons (2017-20) as a wide receiver and punt returner with the Wildcats while playing in 48 career games. He hauled in 111 receptions for 1,093 yards and nine touchdowns in his collegiate career, including a career-high 51 catches for 430 yards and two TDs as a redshirt junior in 2019. Lees was a part of two Big Ten West Division title teams (2018, 2020) and played in three bowl games, concluding his career with a victory over Auburn in the 2021 Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day in which he caught a touchdown pass. He served as one of the captains his senior year on the 2020 team that finished 7-2 and ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll. Lees ranks among Northwestern's all-time leaders in punt returns, ranking third in most punt returns (53) and sixth in punt return yards (378); he led the Wildcats in punt returns four consecutive seasons (2017-20). Following his playing career, Lees served as a graduate assistant on offense at Northwestern for two seasons (2022-23) and then spent two years as the director of football alumni engagement for the Wildcats (2024-25).