Troy Walters

An accomplished offensive coordinator on the college level, Walters joined the Bengals this offseason and enters his first season on an NFL staff. He will serve in Cincinnati as assistant wide receivers coach, where he will work with WRs coach Bob Bicknell in guiding a young and talented Bengals receiver group.

Walters spent the last two seasons (2018-19) as offensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska, under head coach Scott Frost. He helped the Huskers' 2018 offense average 456.2 yards/game (second in Big 10), good for a 71.2-yard improvement over the '17 team (385.0), which was the fifth-best year-to-year improvement in college football. The 2018 Huskers offense ranked 25th in FBS, their first top-25 offensive ranking in a decade and a 62-spot improvement over the '17 team.

From 2016-17, Walters was offensive coordinator at the University of Central Florida and helped guide the offensive-powered Knights to the greatest two-year turnaround in NCAA history. He inherited the FBS' 127th-ranked offense (268.4 yards/game) and 125th-ranked scoring offense (13.9 points/game) from 2015, but by '17 had the Knights ranked fifth in yards/game (530.5) and first in scoring (48.2). UCF finished the 2017 season with a perfect 13-0 record that included an upset over the heavily favored Auburn Tigers in the Peach Bowl. The Knights' success in 2017 helped make Walters one of just five finalists for the prestigious Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.

From 2013-15, Walters served as receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Colorado, where he coached arguably the most productive receiving corps in school history. When he left in 2016, Colorado's top three single-season receptions totals and top two receiving yardage totals were all set by receivers during Walters' three-year tenure. One of his protégés, Nelson Spruce, left Colorado with 41 school records, including career receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs. Walters also coached future second-round draft pick Paul Richardson to a then-school record 1343 receiving yards in 2014, helping him become the first CU receiver to earn all-conference honors in nearly two decades.

Walters spent 2012 as receivers coach at North Carolina State, where he helped the Wolfpack rank 18th nationally in receiving yards per game, and helped two receivers break the 50-catch mark.

From 2010-11, Walters served as wide receivers coach at Texas A&M, where he worked alongside current Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, who at the time was the Aggies' tight ends coach. In his first season at A&M, Walters helped Aggie WRs Ryan Swope and Jeff Fuller each to a school-record 72 catches, and Fisher to a school-record 1065 yards. Swope then easily topped both records in his second season under Walters (89 catches, 1207 yards).

Walters broke into coaching at Indiana State University in 2009, where he served as offensive coordinator while also coaching quarterbacks and receivers.

Walters' coaching career followed a long and record-setting playing career. In college, he played four seasons (1996-99) at Stanford University and ended his career as the Pac 12 conference's all-time leading receiver (4047 receiving yards). He also set Stanford career records for receptions (244) and 100-yard receiving games (19), single-season records for catches (86 in 1997) and receiving yards (1456 in '99), and a single-game record for receiving yards (278 vs. UCLA in '99). He ended his college career in 1999 by winning the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation's top receiver.

Following Stanford, Walters was selected in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He went on to also play for the Colts, Cardinals and Lions, and over eight NFL seasons totaled 98 catches, 1135 yards, nine TDs and more than 3800 return yards.

Born Dec. 15, 1976, in Bloomington, Ind., Walters later moved and attended Consolidated High School in College Station, Texas. He holds two degrees from Stanford — a bachelor's degree in communications (1999), and masters degree in sociology (2000). He and his wife, Josephine, have one son, Tate, and two daughters, Faith and Landri.

Playing and coaching history: 1995-99—Played wide receiver at Stanford. 2000-01—Played wide receiver with Minnesota Vikings. 2002-05—Played wide receiver with Indianapolis Colts. 2006—Played wide receiver with Arizona Cardinals. 2007—Played wide receiver with Detroit Lions. 2009—Assistant coach (AC), Indiana State. 2010-11—AC, Texas A&M. 2012—AC, North Carolina State. 2013-15—AC, Colorado. 2016-17—Offensive coordinator, Central Florida. 2018-19—Offensive coordinator, Nebraska. 2020—AC, Cincinnati Bengals.