The Detroit Lions are hiring Tyler Roehl as an offensive coach who spent 10 years with North Dakota State and won seven championships.
The Detroit Lions are hiring Iowa State assistant head coach/running backs coach Tyler Roehl as an offensive assistant coach, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Roehl was briefly an NFL running back, signing with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Unfortunately for Roehl, he scuffed a torn ACL in offseason workouts, missed his entire rookie season, and was cut the next year. That was after a highly successful college career at North Dakota State. In his two final years there, he rushed for a total of 2,484 yards and 34 touchdowns on 378 carries (6.6 YPC).
Just a few years after transitioning to a coaching career, he returned to North Dakota State as the team’s running back/tight ends coach. After five years as a positional coach, Roehl was promoted to offensive coordinator for the Bisons in 2019 He held that position for five more years—helping North Dakota earn seven Division 1 FCS Championships over his 10 years as a coach there.
Here’s where North Dakota State ranked in scoring offense in the FCS in his five years as offensive coordinator:
- 2019: 37.3 PPG (9th)
- 2020: 29.9 PPG (18th)
- 2021: 33.9 PPG (13th)
- 2022: 34.3 PPG (20th)
- 2023: 38.1 PPG (3rd)
Eventually, he parlayed that into a job into a spot on Matt Campbell’s staff at Iowa State, where he served as the assistant head coach/running backs coach in 2024. The Cyclones subsequently went 11-3, the most wins they’ve had in program history, culminating in a defeat of the Miami Hurricanes in the Pop Tarts Bowl this past December.
Now Roehl will take another shot at the NFL, this time as a coach.
FootballScoop has a nice profile on Roehl, who took the offensive coordinator job under Eddie George at Tennessee State but only spent about a month there before taking the Iowa State job.
It’s unclear what Roehl’s specific role will be, but he has coached running backs, fullbacks, and tight ends in his career. You can see the latest hirings and coaching vacancies on the Lions’ staff here.
