Lechtenberg grew up in Butte, Nebraska.[2] He attended Butte High School where he played football, basketball and track and field.[3] Lechtenberg played quarterback in football and led his team to an overall record of 35–3 as starter, being a first-team all-state selection.[3] He was named honorable mention all-state in basketball and in track and field was a state medalist.[3] In 1998, he began playing college football at Nebraska, having made the team as a walk-on.[1] Lechtenberg graduated in 2002 with a bachelor of science degree in agribusiness.[1][4]
Lechtenberg became the running backs coach and video coordinator for the Truman Bulldogs in 2007, but only served preseason; he became an offensive graduate assistant[2] at TCU during the regular season.[3] He served in that position at TCU through 2009, and received a master's degree from the school.[2] Lechtenberg became the co-offensive coordinator at Central Connecticut in 2010, and served two years in the position, helping the team win the conference championship in his first year.[9] He also coached quarterbacks and served as recruiting coordinator at the school.[6]
After leaving Central Connecticut in 2012, Lechtenberg accepted a position as director of player personnel for the Memphis Tigers.[1] In this role, he was the liaison between the football team and academics, housing and admissions.[10] He served in the position through 2015, and also was the interim wide receivers coach in his final year.[7] He helped them compile a record of 10–3 in 2014, tied for the best in school history, and win the conference championship, their first since 1971.[6] Lechtenberg additionally oversaw the Memphis walk-on program, which helped 11 players win scholarships and 23 make an impact on the team.[10]
Lechtenberg became the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at UT Martin in 2016, and was in that role for one year.[10] He helped them achieve 32.2 points-per-game, which ranked second in the division.[10] In 2017, he was named director of player development at Virginia Tech, and after one season in that position, became the assistant head coach and executive director of player development in 2018.[10] Following the 2019 season, Lechtenberg was promoted to running backs coach, and led the backs to average 5.58 yards-per-carry in 2020, the all-time school record.[2][5] He added the position of offensive recruiting coordinator in 2021.[5]
In 2022, Lechtenberg became co-offensive coordinator, assistant head coach[11] and quarterbacks coach at Central Oklahoma.[12] After one season there, he was named head coach of the Central Connecticut Blue Devils in January 2023.[9]
