Tommy Zagorski sees opportunity as Otterbein University football coach

On Feb 10, 2023

Tommy Zagorski had coaching stints at John Carroll, Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky and Akron before becoming Otterbein University's head football coach

Tommy Zagorski idolized his high school football coaches at Benedictine High School in Cleveland. They made him want to do what they did.

From them, Zagorski said, it was imperative for him to teach what he was passionate about, aiming for the opportunity to earn a living from the game he loved.

Zagorski’s passion grew with each coaching stop, teaming up with Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley at John Carroll and serving as a quality control coach at Tennessee before offensive coordinator jobs at Eastern Kentucky and Akron, taking things from each level and molding his own coaching style and culture.

“You have to have the humility to listen to what people at different levels have to say, and does it match up to who you are?” Zagorski said. “How does it fit into your culture? How does it fit into your schematics that you can execute on any given Saturday?”

Now Zagorski has a chance to put that coaching style and culture into a program, taking over Otterbein’s football from Tim Doup, who posted a record of 41-64 in 11 seasons.

How Tommy Zagorski plans to build Otterbein’s football program

Zagorski aims to build a program that is constantly evolving.

He said he wants a program that is pillared on character, humility and love, adapting the battle cry of leaving the place better than he found it initially.

It was a pitch that resonated with Gavin Edwards.

The sophomore wide receiver out of Pickerington Central just finished his second season with Otterbein, experiencing three wins in 20 collegiate games. And as Otterbein began its coaching search, Edwards was asked to play a part as one of the players tasked with vetting each coaching candidate.

Edwards was sold after the first interview held.

“Zagorski just stood out,” Edwards said. “He was the very first candidate we interviewed, and he had plans on the desk. His three things were character, humility and love. That really stood out to us.”

Zagorski’s pitch was nothing new. It was how he ran each position room he was in, whether it was at John Carroll after playing offensive line at Case Western, to his most recent stint as the head coach at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills.

He wants the players around him to soar higher than the standard, to exceed expectations.

“Right now, we’re opportunistic,” Zagorski said. “And once we get this thing rolling the right way, then the players in our program have the obligation to uphold that tradition, to uphold that standard that now has become what Otterbein football now is.

“There’s a perception of what we are on the outside. But realistically, we know who we’re going to be.”

Zagorski said some players bought in quickly, eagerly jumping at the challenge of revamping the Cardinals program when he held his first team meeting.

The challenge is contagious, Zagorski said, something that turned into bought-in players calling others who had no intention of returning with the message that something special was happening with the program.

“They want to maximize the talent we have in our program,” Zagorski said. “Our kids are recruiting guys on campus to come be part of it with them. That’s exciting to me. … When we get this thing rolling, doing it the right way, every single day, like it’s a different animal.”

‘We just don’t want the last two years to happen again’

Zagorski doesn’t know how much success Otterbein will have next season. He doesn’t even know where the Cardinals will be two years from now.

But that’s not what he’s focused on.