Johns gets 'opportunity of a lifetime' as Oilers coach

The hiring of Tyler Johns as the University of Findlay's head football coach came together quickly.But his return to lead the program has been a long time coming.Johns arrived at the University of Findlay in 2009, where he played four years on the offensive line. After his playing career, Johns started coaching as a graduate assistant at the University of Illinois.While with the Illini, Johns said he was sometimes asked about his career goal."Being the head coach at the University of Findlay has been my dream as long as I can remember," Johns said. "Sometimes (people would) look at you a little funny. But that's been the truth. That's been my truth every day that I've worked in this profession."Now, that dream is a reality.Johns spent the last two seasons as the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at the FCS' Gardner-Webb University under head coach Cris Reisert.Earlier this month, Reisert (who Johns also coached with at Ohio Dominican and Tiffin University) left the Runnin' Bulldogs to join Mike Jacobs' staff at the University of Toledo.At about the same time, Findlay's head coach, Kory Allen, resigned his position to also join Jacobs and the Rockets.Findlay Director of Athletics Jim Givens said the Oilers moved quickly to hire Johns."I would like to thank our university president, Dr. Katherine Fell," Givens said Tuesday. "Really, it was unprecedented for the University of Findlay. It moved very fast, and even when she was away, she had confidence in us, she gave us her blessing. She expedited the process for us."Five days after Allen announced his resignation, Johns was named Findlay's head coach."I think everybody in here understands the landscape of the NCAA is changing by the minute," Givens said. "I did not want to be responsible for setting the program back a couple years and sitting on my hands."Johns will be taking over a program that went 10-2 in 2025. The Oilers shared the Great Midwest Athletic Conference championship and reached the Division II playoffs.Givens praised Allen, who was part of the UF program for two decades and was the program's head coach for the last four seasons."He continued to build on the foundation of success that we have," Givens said. "Not only did coach Allen have success on the field, (his team) had a 3.3 grade point average, which is unheard of for a football program."Coach Allen will always be family to us and always be welcome here," he said.Johns helped build that foundationIn his sophomore season, the Oilers were just 1-10 under then-head coach Jon Wauford. Rob Keys was hired to lead the Oilers for the 2010 season."He was taking over a bit of a dumpster fire," Johns said of Keys. "We were not a very connected team in 2010. A lot of people rowing in different directions."But Keys turned the program around.It wasn't easy."That offseason was the hardest offseason of my life," Johns said. "It was designed that way. It was designed to test what we were made of."It also planted the seeds of the kind of coach Johns became. "It really started to click then, those core values I talk about," Johns said. "You had to show grit every day when you were around coach Keys."Keys and UF went 6-5 that season, and had a successful 11-year run with the Oilers. He's now the special teams coordinator at Ohio State.Johns also played under Allen, who was an offensive line coach."For four years, I got to work with coach Allen every day," Johns said. "I have the most respect imaginable for coach Allen."Unlike 15 years ago when Keys was hired, Johns won't need to rebuild a program. UF is coming off a string of successful seasons, and will have talent returning in 2026."We are incredibly fortunate," Johns said. "Through the conversations that I've had, very few players are leaving our program. That has nothing to do with any person, it has everything to do with the culture of the University."There also will be continuity on the coaching staff. Thomas Rebholz, the Oilers defensive coordinator who coached one of the best units in the country this fall, will be back."Day 1, Priority 1 was making sure coach Reb would be with us," Johns said. "We're going to stay very similar on defense to what we've been. They've been tremendous here on defense; I don't want to mess with that one bit."Also returning will be defensive line coach Anthony Gore.Johns also singled out strength and conditioning coach Chad Wagner, who has been at UF for 23 years."I believe we have the best strength coach in the country, regardless of level," he said.On offense, Johns said he's hoping to hand play-calling off to a coordinator. He also added the offense might look a little different in 2026."We'll be little faster pace, maybe, than we've seen the last couple years here," he said. "It's all about generating the explosive plays in my mind. Explosive football puts points on the board."As for recruiting, Johns said the program would go about it "organically.""We're gonna get on the road recruiting right away," he said. "We're gonna get folks on campus here right away. We're going to build a really strong high school class before February rolls around."Johns added the Oilers will prioritize home-grown talent."We are going to recruit every county that touches Hancock County as hard as possible, That will be an area we recruit as a staff; I'll be heavily involved in this area. There's tremendous football right here at home."And as for the transfer portal?"We will fill needs where we need to fill needs," he said.While Johns called the UF job an "opportunity of a lifetime," he acknowledged that nothing will come easy.He noted the tradition of the program and the accomplishments of the legendary Dick Strahm, who was hired a little more than 50 years ago as Findlay's head coach and went on to win four NAIA national titles."There's a gravity that comes with being the head coach of this program. There's a gravity that comes with leading our student athletes," Johns said."I am walking in the shoes of some incredible men."