Collin Leyden enters his first season as SWOSU’s Special Teams Coordinator. He was elevated to the role in 2025 after serving as a graduate assistant on the Bulldog staff for the previous two seasons.
Leyden first joined SWOSU in 2023 as a graduate assistant coaching the cornerbacks. The following year, he worked with the safeties before being promoted to coordinator status under head coach Andrew Rice.
A Parma, Ohio native, Leyden was a defensive back before transitioning into coaching. He was a two-year letterman and team captain at Erie Community College (2018–2020) before transferring to Bluefield State University (HBCU), where he played two more seasons in the secondary. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Bluefield State in 2023.
Leyden graduated from Parma Senior High School in 2017, where he was a three-year letterman, team captain, and All-District selection as a defensive back.
He earned his master’s degree in Sport Management from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the spring of 2025.
The Leyden File:
Coaching Career
2025–present: SWOSU (Special Teams Coordinator)
2024: SWOSU (Graduate Assistant / Safeties)
2023: SWOSU (Graduate Assistant / Cornerbacks)
Playing Career
Bluefield State University (Defensive Back) — 2021–2023
Erie Community College (Defensive Back) — 2018–2020
Education
Bluefield State University
Political Science, 2023 (bachelor’s)
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Sport Management, 2025 (master’s)
