Returning to his roots where he led Linfield to an NCAA championship, Brett Elliott is joining the Wildcat football staff for the 2019 season.
 
Linfield head coach Joseph Smith started the new year with a bang in announcing Elliott's appointment as co-offensive coordinator.
 
"Words fail to express the importance of Brett Elliott coming back to Linfield," said Smith. "I am so thankful to all who have helped make this happen. Brett has a magnetic personality, he has an incredible intellect, and his character and enthusiasm is inspiring to players and coaches alike."
 
Transferring to Linfield from the University of Utah, the Lake Oswego native quarterbacked Linfield during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, considered one of the most dominating periods in program history. He went 23-1 as the Wildcats' starting quarterback while setting a host of school, regional and national records.
 
"Linfield is such a special place that it has always stayed in the forefront of my mind," said Elliott, a two-time All-American and 2005 Linfield graduate. "Having the opportunity to come back is unbelievable."
 
Most recently, Elliott has worked as quarterbacks coach at Texas State and Mississippi State. He previously held co-offensive coordinator positions at Texas State and James Madison. He began his coaching career at Linfield, overseeing the quarterbacks from 2009 until 2011 and helping the Wildcats advance to at least the second round of the NCAA playoffs all three seasons.
 
"The tradition of fantastic coaches and players is such a strong one. Coach Smith has done a great job of continuing to enhance the program and I feel so fortunate to be able to come back and be a part of it again with an incredible staff. I've been around a few different coaching staffs the last few years and the football knowledge and teaching ability here at Linfield are as good as any staff I've been on."
 
Expanding Linfield's recruiting footprint will be an area of emphasis for Elliott and the football staff.
 
"One of the things I hope to add to the staff is the connections I've gained recruiting over the last few years in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia and New Jersey," he said. "There's a lot of talent in the Northwest and we want to obviously continue being the preeminent recruiters in this area. But the Linfield name is strong across the country and if we could add a couple guys each year to enhance our local classes, it will only help."
 
Elliott played under, or coached alongside, a series of noteworthy coaching professionals, including Smith at Linfield, Urban Meyer at Utah (now at Ohio State), Dan Mullen at Mississippi State (now at Florida), and Steve Coury at Lake Oswego High School.
 
Elliott said he expects Linfield's schematic approach on the offensive side of the ball to remain largely unchanged.
 
"Offensively, we will not change much as there has been a lot of success in recent years here and we will continue that. Running the football consistently to complement a strong play action/pro style passing game will continue to be our philosophy."
 
As a player, Elliott is arguably the most decorated player in Linfield football history. Perhaps his proudest accomplishment was leading the Wildcats to the 2004 NCAA Division III championship while shattering a bevy of team records that included a program-best 92 touchdowns.
 
As a senior in 2005, Elliott was awarded both the Gagliardi Trophy and the Mehlberger Award as the top player in Division III. He was also a two-time recipient of the Linfield Male Athlete of the Year honor.
 
He twice was named the Northwest Conference and West Region Player of the Year remains the only Wildcat to be named national Player of the Year in consecutive seasons.
 
Elliott's 61 touchdown passes as a junior in 2004 broke an all-divisions record. That season, he also set single-season Division III records for passing yards (4,595) and completion percentage (68.1). In two seasons as the Wildcats' starting quarterback, Elliott passed for 110 touchdowns and over 8,600 yards, surpassing nearly every Linfield single-game, single-season and career passing record. Twelve times, he tossed at least five touchdown passes in the same game and his career tally includes eight 400-yard passing games.
 
After graduating from Linfield, Elliott continued his football playing career, signing as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers. He played for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe and was under contract with the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena League when the team halted operations in 2008. He also was a starter for the Utah Blaze in 2010 and Georgia Force in 2011.
 
"Brett is one of the greatest players to have ever suited up in the Catdome and he is one of the finest coaches I have encountered," said Smith. "His experience and the knowledge he's gained since leaving Linfield will be extremely valuable.
 
"We have a tremendous staff at Linfield; Brett will make it even stronger. Welcome home, Brett! Let's Go!"
 
 

Texas State	2018	Quarterbacks Coach
Mississippi State	2017	Quarterbacks Coach
Texas State	2016	Co-Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks Coach
James Madison	2015	Co-Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks Coach
Mississippi State	2013-14	Offensive Quality Control Coach
Mississippi State	2012	Graduate Assistant
Linfield	2009-11	Quarterbacks Coach