Columbus East High School

Q&A: Meet Columbus East Head Football Coach Tyler Campbell Columbus East High School football is entering a new chapter. With a proud tradition, three state championships, and a standard built on toughness and discipline, the Olympians have named Tyler Campbell as the fourth head football coach in program history. Campbell brings experience across high school, college, and professional football, along with a clear vision for honoring East’s legacy while positioning the program for continued success. Q: Can you tell us about your coaching journey and how it led you to Columbus East? I’ve been fortunate to work for several great coaches at several different places. I got my start in junior high football in Lafayette, Indiana, where I spent three years and learned a great deal from coaches like Pat Shanley and Brian Moore at Lafayette Jefferson. From there, I moved on to Jackson State University in Mississippi, working under Hal Mumme and head coach Tony Hughes. After that, I served as the wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator at Illinois Wesleyan University under Norm Eash. I then reunited with Coach Mumme and worked under Bob Stoops with the Dallas Renegades in the XFL. Eventually, I returned to Indiana, where I became the head coach at Covington High School, then Maconaquah High School, and later the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ben Davis High School. While at Ben Davis, I learned a great deal from Coach Russ Mann. I’m beyond grateful that all of these stops led me to a program like Columbus East. My wife and I are excited to get involved with the school, the community, and obviously the football program. From my brief introduction so far, it’s clear this is a special place that’s very hungry to win championships again, and I’m excited to be part of that. Q: How have your experiences at the high school, college, and professional levels shaped your coaching philosophy? High school football teaches you that everything outside of X’s and O’s matters most. Culture, developing young men, holding kids accountable while showing them you care about them beyond football — those things are far more important than teaching a specific scheme. Kids will play hard for coaches who genuinely care about them and also hold them to a high standard. At the college level, I learned how diverse football schematics can be and how important it is to tailor systems to fit your personnel. At the professional level, I learned how to manage personalities within a team environment. Coach Stoops was phenomenal at allowing players to be themselves while never letting anything supersede the team. All of those experiences have shaped a philosophy that demands the best from our players every day while holding them accountable in a people-first environment. Our kids need to know they’re valued for more than just a tackle or a touchdown. Q: What excites you most about joining the Columbus East football program and its community? The passion within the community for East football. I’ve met so many people connected to the program in different ways, and they all express the same pride in what East football represents. Communities that take pride in their football programs make the experience better for players and coaches alike, and I’m excited to help build even more reasons for East supporters to take pride in their program. Columbus East has a storied history with three state championships. How do you plan to honor that tradition while putting your own stamp on the program? The standard established by Coach Stafford, Coach Gaddis and Coach Vogel — toughness, discipline, and doing things the right way — should never be replaced. Our responsibility is to honor that legacy by preserving the values and expectations that built it. At the same time, the program has to belong to the current players. Our stamp will come through how we teach, how we connect with kids, how we develop the whole person, and how we adapt schematically and culturally to today’s game. The best way to respect the tradition is to evolve it — keep the core non-negotiables while also innovating. When people watch Columbus East football, I want them to recognize what it stands for while also seeing a program that’s modern, player-centered, and positioned to win championships again. Q: How would you describe your coaching style and the culture you want to build? Consistency is the foundation. We talk a lot about being an “everyday guy” — be the same person every day. If you’re high-energy, be that every day. If you’re calm and cerebral, be that every day. I want to coach with high energy and positivity while holding players to a high standard of effort, discipline, and execution that matches what the East program deserves. Our culture comes down to four core values: being selfless, taking ownership, uniting as a team, and leading each other. If we establish those, they’ll show up on the field as a team that plays with relentless effort, physicality, and strong fundamentals. Q: How do you plan to develop players for success on and off the field? Development has to be holistic. We’ll develop kids physically in the weight room and through speed and agility training. We’ll develop them as football players through practice, skill sessions, and offseason work. Just as importantly, we’ll develop leaders — young men who are academically focused, team-oriented, and committed to treating others the right way. We will win at East because we develop great athletes, great football players, and great people. You can’t win championships without all three. Q: What are your goals for the program in your first season and beyond? Right now, my biggest goal is building relationships with our players. That has to come first. We’re also focused on solidifying the coaching staff, connecting with the community, and understanding the academic side of Columbus East. Long-term, I want East to be a consistent power — in the conference, in Columbus, and in the playoff race. The ultimate goal never changes: win state championship number four, then keep building from there. But that only happens if we focus on the process and raise every part of the program to a championship standard.