News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko announced Thursday the promotions of Joey Lynch and John Perry to assistant coaches.
Elko elevates Lynch from senior offensive analyst to the Aggies’ quarterbacks coach, while Perry shifts from assistant wide receivers coach to taking the full-time reins of the positional group.
Lynch brings nearly 20 years of experience to the new role, including nine years as an offensive coordinator at the FCS level. Texas A&M marks the second stop together for Perry and Elko as the two worked together at Hofstra University in 2006, serving as its offensive and defensive coordinator, respectively. Perry also spent five years as the head coach at Merrimack College during his near 30-year coaching career.
In his two seasons with the Aggies (2024-25), Lynch worked with the running backs, helping the unit produce back-to-back seasons with 2,400-plus yards and 25 rushing scores. It marked the first time since 2012-13 that Texas A&M achieved the feat in consecutive seasons. Under Lynch’s guidance, the rushing offense improved from 90th nationally prior to his arrival to 26th in 2024 (195.5) and 34th in 2025 (184.7).
Lynch helped develop Second Team All-SEC selection Le’Veon Moss, who concluded his career with 1,767 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, despite battling injuries his final two seasons. He also coached Rueben Owens II and Amari Daniels to 1,000-plus career rushing yards.
Prior to his time in Aggieland, Lynch spent three years at Vanderbilt University, serving as the pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for one season (2021) before being promoted to the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach his final two years (2022-23).
While in Nashville, Lynch helped Vanderbilt’s passing offense improve from 104th nationally in 2021 to 64th in 2023. Additionally after taking over as the Commodores offensive coordinator in 2022, Vanderbilt finished 94th and 50th in yards per completion after finishing ranked above 100 in the two years prior.
Quarterbacks AJ Swann and Mike Wright combined to throw just six interceptions in 2022, the fewest in the SEC and 12th-fewest nationally. Swann made his debut in Vanderbilt’s win over Northern Illinois and went 159 pass attempts before throwing his first interception. It marked the longest stretch to open a career by a Commodore signal-caller since at least 1996 and the longest by an SEC quarterback since 2002. On the year, Swann had the fewest interceptions by any true freshman quarterback with at least 200 dropbacks. Will Sheppard was the primary target for the Commodores, and his nine touchdown receptions were the third-most in school history and ranked second in the SEC.
Lynch also mentored Ray Davis during his final season with the Commodores. The running back led the team with 1,042 yards and five touchdowns to become the seventh Commodore to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season after finishing with the ninth-most rushing yards in a season in school history.
Before his time in Nashville, Lynch served one season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Colorado State during the abbreviated 2020 Covid season. The Rams played four games that year and averaged 22.2 points per contest and 199.5 passing yards per contest. Quarterbacks Patrick O’Brien and Todd Centeio combined to throw for 798 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for two more scores.
Lynch joined Colorado State’s staff after an 11-year tenure at his alma mater, Ball State, serving in a variety of different roles. He began his career as the Cardinals’ wide receivers coach (2009) before picking up recruiting coordinator duties the following season (2010). He then switched to coaching the tight ends for three seasons (2011-13) while maintaining the recruiting coordinator responsibilities. For five years (2014-18), Lynch ran the offense as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before being promoted to assistant head coach his final year (2019).
Lynch was nominated for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant, after the Cardinals ranked 16th nationally in total offense (463.0), 18th in scoring offense (34.8), 22nd in rushing offense (219.4) and 27th in completion percentage (.641) during his final season in 2019. Lynch helped the Cardinals to 54 wins, including two bowl appearances (2012 St. Peterburg and 2013 GoDaddy) after consecutive nine-win seasons.
Throughout his time in Muncie, Ind., Lynch mentored 12 student-athletes to 20 All-MAC honors, including three-time selections in wide receivers KeVonn Mabon and Justin Hall. Mabon concluded his final season in 2016 with 85 receptions for 972 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He set a school record for career receptions (244) and ranked third in program lore for career receiving yards. Hall, a 2017 freshman All-America selection by ESPN.com and Football Writers Association of America, wrapped up his tenure surpassing Mabon’s career receptions mark with 257, while finishing ranked fifth in Ball State history with career receiving yards with 2,772.
In three of Lynch’s final four seasons, the Cardinals had a running back finish in the league’s top three for rushing yards led by Caleb Huntley’s 106.2 yards per outing in 2019. In Lynch’s third season running the offense in 2016, Ball State was one of only three in the MAC to average 200 rushing and 200 passing yards. Running back James Gilbert tallied 1,332 yards on the year, which marked the fourth-most in a season in program history. Lynch’s 2014 Ball State offense capped off a historic career for running back Jahwan Edwards as he broke Ball State’s career rushing record with 4,558 yards.
Lynch spent the 2008 season as the Ashland University offensive coordinator, helping the program to averages of 324 yards passing, 146 yards rushing and 38 points per game. His work with quarterback Billy Cundiff resulted in First Team All-America honors as the Eagles won their first postseason game in program history with a 27-16 victory against Minnesota State-Mankato. Cundiff was also tabbed the conference player of the year and a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the Division II football player of the year.
Lynch got his coaching start at Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana, serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2007.
A 2007 graduate of Ball State with a bachelor’s degree in finance, Lynch was a four-year letterman at quarterback for the Cardinals. He completed his career 391-of-613 passing (.638) for 4,292 yards with 37 touchdowns. When his career ended, Lynch ranked second in Ball State history for career completion percentage and tied for first with six games of 250-plus passing yards.
Lynch is married to the former Danielle DeVoe of Muncie, Ind., and they are the parents of sons, J.J., Danny, Harrison, Lux and Roland and daughter, Hattie. His father, Bill, was a long-time college football coach at Butler (1985-89), Ball State (1995-2002), DePauw University (2004; 2013-19), and the University of Indiana (2007-10). His brother Billy is the head football coach at his alma mater Delta High School in Muncie, Ind., while his other brother Kevin is the head football coach at Butler.
Perry takes over as the Aggies full-time wide receivers coach after spending last season serving as Texas A&M’s assistant wide receivers coach. In 2025, Perry helped guide one of the nation’s most explosive offenses as the Aggies receiving corps averaged 13.6 yards per catch to rank 15th nationally. He mentored KC Concepcion and Mario Craver to All-SEC honors in their first season with the program. The duo was one of three receiver tandems nationally with 900-plus receiving yards apiece and one of only four pairs averaging more than 15.0 yards per catch (minimum 50 receptions each).
Concepcion, the 2025 Paul Hornung Award recipient for college football’s most versatile player, led the Aggies with 61 receptions for 919 yards and an SEC-best nine receiving touchdowns. Craver followed with 59 receptions for 917 yards and four scores.
Prior to his time in Aggieland, Perry served as a senior analyst at Rutgers University for two seasons (2023-24) under head coach Greg Schiano. During his time with the Scarlet Knights, the program registered 14 victories, while making consecutive bowl appearances (2024 Rate Bowl and 2023 Pinstripe Bowl) for the first time since 2013-14. Perry also spent the 2021 season in Piscataway, N.J., as the Scarlet Knights’ offensive assistant, helping Rutgers to a Gator Bowl appearance for their first postseason showing since 2014.
In 2024, Perry mentored wide receiver Ian Strong to All-Big Ten honors after he compiled 43 receptions for 676 yards with a team-leading five receiving touchdowns, all in the red zone, to rank 13th in the conference. In addition to Strong, Perry also coached wide receiver Christian Dremel (2023), Dymere Miller (2024) and KD Duff (2024) to 400-plus receiving yards during his last two seasons with the Scarlet Knights.
In between his stints at Rutgers, Perry spent one season (2022) as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Sam Houston State as the program made its transition from FCS to the FBS level. In that lone season, Perry helped in the development of offensive lineman Jordan Boatman and wide receiver Cody Chrest, who both were named Second Team All-WAC.
Before that, Perry had a seven-year career in the National Football League, serving on Bill O’Brien’s staff with the Houston Texans as the tight ends coach (2014-16) and wide receivers coach (2017-20). While there, Perry helped the Texans to four AFC South titles (2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019).
In 2019, Perry’s wide receivers group helped the Texans tie a team record for most overall touchdowns (46) in a single season. Additionally, Houston set franchise records for highest red zone touchdown percentage (.642) and fewest three-and-outs (24). The Texans also tallied 27 receptions of 30-or-more yards in 2019, which tied for third in the NFL. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins led the unit and was named an Associated Press NFL First Team All-Pro selection for a third-straight season and earned his third-straight Pro Bowl nod after leading the team with 104 receptions, 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns.
The year prior, the Texans posted an 11-5 record with rookie wide receiver Keke Coutee adding to the group by hauling in 11 passes for 109 yards in his NFL debut, marking the most receptions by a rookie wideout in an NFL opener since the NFL/AFL merger.
As tight ends coach from 2014-16, Perry helped the Texans post three-straight winning seasons. Houston’s tight ends had the most productive season in franchise history in 2016 after Perry’s unit posted NFL-bests of 74 receptions and 4.6 receptions per game and finished with second-best increases in receiving yards (646) and receiving yards per game (40.4).
For the 2013 season, Perry served as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Delaware and helped the Blue Hens conclude the season with a 7-5 record. One of Delaware’s wins came against No. 14-ranked James Madison where junior quarterback Trent Hurley finished the game completing 20-of-31 pass attempts for 233 yards with three touchdowns. The Blue Hens posted nine games with 200-plus passing yards and six contests with multiple passing scores.
Under Perry’s guidance, Hurley wrapped up his second full year as the Blue Hens’ starter completing 172-of-268 passes for 2,207 yards with 22 touchdowns before succumbing to an injury late in the season. He ranked eighth nationally in passing rating (155.2), No. 24 in pass completion percentage (.642) and was 35th in passing yards (220.7). His season passing yards per game and touchdown total mark were the sixth highest total in Delaware history, while also becoming the first player in Blue Hens history to throw four touchdowns passes three times in a single season.
Perry brings five years of head coaching experience to Aggieland as well, having led the football program at Merrimack College from 2008-12. He led the Warriors to a 29-21 record and a 2009 Northeast-10 title. During his tenure in North Andover, Mass., Merrimack produced six All-Americans and two Northeast-10 Conference Players of the Year.
Perry’s up-tempo, high-scoring offense ranked as one of the best in the nation for all five of his seasons as the team finished second nationally in total offense (525.8) in 2012 while finishing in the top 10 in 2009 (fourth), 2010 (ninth) and 2011 (seventh).
Perry began his coaching career as the running backs coach at Northeastern University in 1993 and later served as the receivers coach at Brown University (1994-96). He also made coaching stops at his alma mater, the University of New Hampshire (1997-98), as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, Dartmouth University (1999-2004) as offensive coordinator, Georgetown University (2005) as the associate head coach and quarterbacks coach, Hofstra University (2006) as the offensive coordinator, before a second stint at New Hampshire (2007) as the Wildcats’ associate head coach and quarterbacks coach.
A five-year member and four-year starter at New Hampshire from 1988-92, Perry enjoyed a record-setting career as a wide receiver for the Wildcats, setting the program standard for consecutive games with a reception at 42. Serving as team captain as a senior, Perry was a two-time All-Yankee Conference selection in 1991 and 1992 and graduated ranking second in program lore for receiving yards (2,873) and receptions (191). Additionally, Perry also lettered two seasons in basketball (1990-91).
A native of Andover, Mass., Perry earned a dual bachelor’s degree in communications and history from New Hampshire in 1992. He is married to the former Jen Slosek of North Andover, Mass., and they are the parents of daughters, Caitlin and Elizabeth and son, John. His brother, James, is the current head football coach at Brown, serving in the role since 2019.