Tyler Wright (coach)

Tyler James Wright (born September 15, 1992) is a former college football coach and player. He is most well known for his tenure as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at New Mexico State University (NMSU) during the 2024 season.
==Playing Career==
===College===
Wright played for the then NCAA Division II Tarleton State University Texans from 2011- 2014 as a wide receiver and tight end. He was part of the Texans’ 2013 Lone Star Conference Championship team and accumulated 41 catches for 474 yards and 3 touchdowns during his four-year collegiate career. Wright began his transition into coaching during his final semester, working as an intern for the Tarleton State coaching staff. 
==Coaching Career==
===Early Career===
Wright started his coaching career at Odessa Permian High School in Texas, where he served as wide receivers coach and video coordinator from 2015 to 2017. During his tenure, the team achieved a 25-8 record and averaged over 42 points per game, making it one of the most prolific offenses in the school’s history.
In 2018, Wright joined the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. That season, freshman quarterback Taylor Null set school records for passing yards (2,145), touchdowns (16), and completions (176). Despite these individual achievements, the team finished with a 2-9 overall record, ranking second-to-last in the Lone Star Conference.
In 2019, Wright took a graduate assistant role at Texas Christian University. During his three seasons with the Horned Frogs, the program secured 16 wins, including 3 ranked wins, and sent 10 players to the NFL draft. 
===NMSU Special Teams Coordinator & Tight Ends Coach===
In December 2021, it was announced Wright would be joining NMSU as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. During his two seasons in this role, the Aggies saw improvement in special teams, including a top-five national ranking in punt return defense in 2022 and ranking 33rd in blocked kicks in 2023. 
===NMSU Offensive Coordinator & Quarterback Coach Role===
In February 2024, it was announced Wright was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at NMSU. During Wright's time in this role, the team's offense struggled, ranking second-to-last in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for yards per game and seventh-to-last in points per game amongst all 134 FBS teams.
The team's performance was epitomized during a 48-0 loss to Fresno State, in which NMSU's offense recorded:
• 10 first downs, compared to Fresno State's 20.
• 138 total yards, while Fresno State amassed 525 yards.
• 2.1 yards per pass, compared to Fresno State's 9.8 yards per pass.
• 2.4 yards per rush, while Fresno State averaged 6.5 yards per rush.
• Three turnovers (all interceptions), while Fresno State had none.
NMSU failed to secure any FBS victories during Wright's tenure.
==Scandal and Termination==
Wright's tenure at NMSU ended abruptly after just four games when over 150 tweets he had posted between 2011 and 2014 resurfaced. Among the tweets, reported in national media, were derogatory remarks about LGBTQ+ individuals, sexual harassment towards women, jokes about African Americans, and comments that were interpreted as supporting controversial figures such as African warlord Joseph Kony.
One particularly inflammatory series of tweets, as reported by the Las Cruces Sun News, involved Wright commenting on Kony's killings and child abductions. Per the Sun Times, "Wright made light of the atrocities, writing that Kony was "knockin Africans down like bowling pins" (sic) and referring to him as "mr. population control" (sic). He also suggested that Kony "should be a college coach" because "he got thousands of black kids to do what he said." In another tweet, Wright described Kony as "the most influential person of the last 20 years" and referred to him as the "principle" (sic) of African children. "
In addition to these comments, Wright also posted tweets threatening violence against LGBTQ+ individuals. In one post, as reported by Outsports News, Wright stated that he and his friends would "beat up" their new roommate if he turned out to be gay. Other tweets demeaned women, including one where Wright claimed that women who "can't make a sandwich" should "become better at sex instead." Another tweet mocked women's sports, calling them a "joke."
Within an hour of the initial Las Cruces Sun News article being published on the night of Friday, September 27, 2024, NMSU Athletic Director announced to the Las Cruces Sun News Wright would “not be with the team” while the University investigates this matter." NMSU launching an internal investigation, which culminated in Wright's termination being announced on October 11, 2024.
Category:1992 births
Category:Football coaches
Category:People from Eastland County, Texas 
Category:American people