Ryan Heaston enters his first season as the Wide Receivers Coach for Johnson C Smith. Coach Heaston is coming from the University of Indianapolis where he spent 3 years coaching the Running Backs (2020) and Wide Receivers (2021-22).
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Heaston was a big part of UIndy's GLVC title in the 2022 season. The Greyhounds had three receivers that earned all-conference honors including Alonzo Derrick who nothced 3 100 yard receiving games with a career best of 10 catches for 155 yards 1 TD at Ohio Dominican. Heaston also coordinated the kickoff return team that ranked top 10 nationally with a 24.5 avg and 2 TDS for the season.
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Heaston was also a big part of UIndy's GLVC title in the abbreviated 2021 spring season. The Greyhounds averaged nearly 220 rushing yards per game, including a 235-yard individual performance from future All-American Toriano Clinton in the first-ever GLVC Championship Game that April.
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Prior to his time with the Hounds, Heaston helped Division II West Texas A&M to back-to-back winning seasons, including an 8-3 mark in 2019. He also mentored WTAM running back Duke Carter IV to All-Lone Star Conference Honorable Mention accolades. In 2018, Carter had a career game in an upset win over 14th-ranked Central Washington, racking up 259 yards and four touchdowns on the way to LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
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A native of Cordova, Tenn., Heaston spent his undergrad at Division I Missouri State, compiling more than 1,500 career rushing yards for the Bears. He was named a College Sports Journal Freshman All-American in 2012 after rushing for 367 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries as a rookie. He was also a member of the Jerry Rice Award Watch List while also being named the Missouri State Media Player of the Week three times.
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An honor roll student at MSU, Heaston earned a bachelor’s degree in 2015 and went on to earn a master’s in Sports Administration from Tennessee State in 2017.
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