Veteran football coach Mike Riley has been appointed to the College Football Playoff Committee, it was announced Friday.

The 70-year-old Riley spent more than 40 years in coaching, with stops at Oregon State and Nebraska as well as stints with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and USFL’s New Jersey Generals. He replaces Pat Chun, who stepped down from the CFP committee after becoming athletics director at Washington.

“We are pleased to have Mike join the committee,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said. “He has significant experience as a player and coach, and he loves college football. He will bring a unique perspective to the committee. Plus, he is a delightful human being.”

Riley played defensive back at Alabama under Paul “Bear” Bryant in the early 1970s, and becomes the school’s first alum to serve on the CFP committee. He is the nephew of former Crimson Tide basketball and baseball head coach and football assistant coach Hayden Riley.

The first College Football Playoff Committee rankings for 2024 will be released in late October or early November. The playoff takes a 12-team format for the first time this season, with the national championship game set for Jan. 20 in Atlanta.