FARGO — Tyler Roehl’s path to the Detroit Lions began in Fargo, sparked by a conversation with Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
“I believe it was at Trey Lance’s Pro Day,” Roehl said. “We started talking off to the side, exchanging ideas. That’s where it all started, years ago.”
Roehl was named the Lions’ new tight ends coach on Tuesday, leaving his position at Iowa State University, where he served as assistant coach and running backs coach for one year. The former North Dakota State standout running back departed Fargo after spending a decade on the Bison coaching staff. It was well-known that Roehl was a finalist for the head coach position that ultimately went to Tim Polasek in December 2023.
“Sometimes, you’re not actively seeking a job, but the job finds you,” said Roehl. “This has been a goal and something I’ve aspired to reach. I was happy, and my family was happy in Ames, Iowa, but this was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
The last thirteen months have been eventful for the West Fargo native. It began with Polasek promoting Roehl to associate head coach in January 2024. Just two and a half weeks later, Roehl was hired as the offensive coordinator at Tennessee State, where he worked under Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Eddie George.
Roehl spent a month in Nashville before Matt Campbell called him, offering him the job at Iowa State. Though disappointed about not landing the Bison head coach role, Roehl now finds himself headed to the NFL.
“Did I expect things to unfold this way after spending 37-38 years of my life in North Dakota, then moving to Nashville, Ames, and now Detroit? No, but I believe everything happens for a reason. The people you meet and the places you go — there’s a bigger plan at play, and I’m just rolling with it.”
Roehl now joins a team coming off a stellar 15-win season in 2024. Dan Campbell had to reshuffle his entire coaching staff after losing both of his coordinators to head coaching jobs. Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator, took the head coach role with the Chicago Bears, while defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was hired as the new coach of the New York Jets.
Glenn hired Lions tight ends coach Steve Heiden to coach the Jets’ offensive line, creating the opening that Roehl will fill with the Lions.
Roehl will lead a group that includes one of the NFL’s top tight ends, Sam LaPorta. LaPorta had an impressive season with 60 receptions, 726 yards, and seven touchdowns. Interestingly, when Polasek was the offensive line coach at Iowa, he helped recruit LaPorta to the Hawkeyes.
Roehl will now coach him at the NFL level.
Tyler Roehl, a former standout player and coach at #NDSU, will coach the Lions’ tight ends. [Link to tweet]
“I take this as a challenge, because I want to help them improve and be the absolute best at what they do, to elevate their play beyond anything they’ve done before,” Roehl said.
“That goal hasn’t changed from my time at Iowa State or North Dakota State. I want to be the best position coach in the NFL. My focus is on staying curious, building the right habits, and influencing these guys daily to raise their standard of play.”
Roehl’s rise through the coaching ranks has been gradual. It began in 2010 at Concordia (MN), coaching the running backs under Terry Horan. He then returned to NDSU as a graduate assistant during the Bison’s first Division I title win and spent two years at Moorhead High School.
When Chris Klieman took the NDSU head coaching job, he brought Roehl in to coach the tight ends and fullbacks in 2014, a role he held for five years. After Klieman left for Kansas State, Matt Entz hired Roehl as offensive coordinator, a position he held until he left Fargo in 2023.