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Zak Reinhart and Pulse Staff
reinhartz@findlay.edu
The University of Findlay football team starts the season ranked No. 16 in the country in the American Football Coaches’ Association (AFCA) Preseason Coaches Poll. A ranking that will be put to the test week one when it takes on University of Indianapolis Greyhounds (No. 9).
New head coach Tyler Johns says the team had a great season last year and he just wants to build on it.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to take over a program that would even be considered in the top 20 in the country, and I think it’s very well deserved,” Johns said.
The Oilers beat UIndy last year as well as conference foe Ashland University (No. 13), both of which are ranked ahead of UF in the poll.
On Dec. 30, 2025, Johns, a former offensive lineman for the Findlay Oilers from 2009 to 2012, was introduced as the 31st head coach of the program.
He and his new staff have been hard at work getting this squad prepared for a tough conference schedule.
“Six to seven teams that can win this league every year,” Johns said.
Coach Johns brings coaching expertise from reputable colleges such as Gardner-Webb, Ohio Dominican, Illinois, and most notably, conference rival Tiffin. Offensive coordinator, Blaise Holzer and defensive coordinator, Mike Ridings round out the coaching staff. Johns boasted about his coordinators in a recent interview with sports broadcaster Tim Montgomery, where he describes Ridings as a two-time national assistant coach of the year, and Holzer as having coordinated some unbelievable offenses over the years.
Fifth year defensive back and two-time 1st Team All-G-MAC athlete Christion Stokes praised the new staff.
“They bring in a system and it’s like everybody is bought in, and that’s just been pushing the team to, you know, set a higher standard every day,” Stokes said.
As a former Oiler student-athlete, Johns plans to curate his own flair and craft a culture unique to this team and staff, but he feels the values instilled in him in his time as a player will never change.
“The culture, the buzzwords, those types of things, the day to day, yeah, it does look a little bit different,” Johns said. “But if you go look at the foundation, it’s that same foundation, because it’s the same foundation that I learned as a player.”
Johns has touted “Edge; Effort, discipline, grit, and energy” as a theme since his hiring at UF.”
Oilers finished last year 10-2 overall and 8-1 in the conference. They lost in the Super Region III first round playoff game at home vs Minnesota State.
Coach Johns is an Oiler, not just on paper, but at heart too. Long time Alabama football coach and multi-time National Championship winner Nick Saban once said, “You can’t win together if you don’t work together.”
The bond and brotherhood of football mean something to Coach Johns.
“I think ultimately when you talk about brotherhood, the more that you get to know the guy to your right and to your left as a person, the easier it is to go and fight with them,” Johns states.
“Going to war with those guys, it’s always special,” Stokes said.
Conference co-champs from last season, Ashland University is ranked at No. 13 in the preseason poll with
“We want to try to surprise some people and hopefully go knock off number nine next week and see ourselves make a nice little jump,” Johns said.
For the first game of the new era, Oilers travel to UIndy Sept. 5 for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
