Tyler Roehl Returns to Ames with a Clear Vision: Physical, Play-Calling Identity for Cyclones Offense
AMES - Tyler Roehl is back in Ames, and this time, he’s not just coaching tight ends - he’s calling the shots.
After a one-year stint in the NFL as the Detroit Lions’ tight ends coach, Roehl has returned to Iowa State, where he’ll serve as the Cyclones’ new offensive coordinator under recently appointed head coach Jimmy Rogers. And for Roehl, the decision to come back wasn’t exactly a head-scratcher.
“It’s the administration, it’s the fan base,” Roehl said during his introduction alongside the rest of Iowa State’s revamped offensive staff. “It’s the environment on Saturdays in Jack Trice.”
Roehl isn’t a stranger to Ames. He spent the 2024 season coaching tight ends under then-head coach Matt Campbell, helping guide Iowa State to a historic 11-win season and its second-ever Big 12 Championship Game appearance.
That success caught the attention of the NFL - again. After previously receiving interest from pro teams during his long tenure at North Dakota State, Roehl got the call from Dan Campbell and headed to Detroit to coach a unit led by standout Sam LaPorta.
“It was going to have to take something really special for me to leave the first time,” Roehl said. “When Dan Campbell calls and wants you to coach the tight ends, you go. And that was unbelievable growth.”
But as much as Roehl valued the NFL experience, the itch to call plays - to truly shape an offense - never went away. And when the opportunity to do that at a place he already knew and believed in came calling, Roehl didn’t hesitate.
He’s not just returning to a familiar campus. He’s bringing his family - wife Mary and their three children, Maxwell, Evelyn, and Gabrielle - back to a community they trust and feel at home in.
“The opportunity to come back, to call plays, to help coach the coaches, help coach the players - it was simple,” Roehl said. “It comes down to who you want to associate with, who you want to lock arms with. My conversations with Coach Rogers - how he sees teams, sees football, sees culture, the style of play - it was simple.”
And make no mistake, Roehl has a clear identity in mind for Iowa State’s offense.
“Be the most physical team in the nation,” he said. “Not literally, but the mentality of starting the fight.
Every single game, throwing haymakers. That’s the identity.
And that’s the foundation.”
Roehl’s philosophy is rooted in controlling the line of scrimmage and building an offense that’s both adaptable and aggressive. That means running the ball with authority, dictating terms up front, and putting playmakers in position to thrive - whether that’s through play-action, traditional dropbacks, or well-timed screens. It’s about being multiple, unpredictable, and relentless.
“We need to be able to run the ball and dictate the terms of the line of scrimmage,” Roehl explained. “Be able to activate the right concepts vs. the right coverages. Be able to marry up the run and the pass.”
That mindset was forged over 11 seasons at North Dakota State, where Roehl helped build one of the most dominant dynasties in college football history. As the Bison’s offensive coordinator for five of those years, he helped engineer a ground game that was nothing short of elite - including a 2022 season where his offense racked up over 3,500 rushing yards and 47 rushing touchdowns en route to 74 total scores.
Under Roehl’s guidance, NDSU consistently ranked among the top five in the nation in rushing offense, and led the country in rushing touchdowns three years in a row. His offenses were physical, efficient, and flat-out tough - and that’s exactly the standard he’s bringing to Ames.
“There needs to be championship-level urgency and toughness,” Roehl said. “Every single day leading up to the season.
And that’s what I’m excited about. Because these guys are hungry, they’re on a mission.
We’re all on a mission to do things better than they’ve ever been done before.”
That mission - and that standard - is what pulled Roehl back to college football after just one year in the pros. And Iowa State, in his eyes, is the right place to chase both personal and program-wide goals.
“I’m convicted in the fact that it can be done here,” Roehl said. “This is a special place because of the fan base on Saturday.
It’s a home-field advantage. This community, the people here, the administration - this place is special.
And that’s why I wanted to come back here.”
Now, with Roehl at the helm of the offense and Jimmy Rogers setting the tone as head coach, Iowa State is betting big on a physical identity, a unified staff, and a coordinator who knows exactly what he wants - and how to get it.