WACO, Texas – The future is bright within the NM State football program. Monday, the American Football Coaches Association announced a pair of NM State assistants have been selected to participate in the 2024 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute.
 
Co-Defensive Coordinator Nate Dreiling and Tight Ends and Special Teams Coordinator Tyler Wright were chosen from a field of over 175 highly qualified applicants. The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute is a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
 
After taking over as the defensive coordinator ahead of the 2022 season, Dreiling turned a defense which was ranked 127^th in the nation in total defense and guided it to becoming the most improved unit in the country – jumping 98 spots to 29^th in the nation.
 
This season, at just 33 years old Coach Dreiling guided an Aggie defense which finished the regular season as the top-ranked scoring defense in Conference USA – allowing just 19.7 points per game during the Aggies' 13-game regular season schedule. This is a tremendous improvement from prior Aggie teams as the NM State defense gave up an average of 40.4 points per game the season before Dreiling's arrival. Dreiling's defense was also among the nation's best with its back against the wall – ranking fourth among FBS teams in red zone defense.
 
Including his stay in Las Cruces, Dreiling has been in the coaching business for seven years and has now been at four collegiate institutions, including a one-and-a-half-year stint on Head Coach Mario Cristobal's staff at Oregon.
 
Fellow 35 Under 35 selection Tyler Wright has also played a large role in the Aggies success over the past two years. After serving as an offensive graduate assistant at TCU for three years, Wright joined the staff at NM State on Dec. 10, 2021. In the first in his role with the Aggies, Wright's special teams unit finished the year fifth nationally in punt return defense, allowing just 2.21 yards per return.
 
In year two, the Aggies' special teams ranked 21^st in the nation in punt return defense and 29^th in blocked kicks. Meanwhile, the Aggie tight ends took on an increased role in the offense this season as the crew hauled in five touchdowns on the season.
 
Dreiling and Wright are now invited to attend the one-day institute that features a curriculum of interactive lectures focused on topics specifically tailored to emphasize leadership in the coaching profession, ethics, influential responsibilities, career progression and family balance.