Life has come 'full circle' for new TU football coach Cris Reisert

About a dozen years ago, Cris Reisert stared across the line of scrimmage against Tiffin University defenders in a game at Frost-Kalnow Stadium. It was a big game. Tiffin was nationally-ranked in Division II, Ohio Dominican in the NAIA. Last fall, that superstar Ohio Dominican quarterback-turned Panthers offensive coordinator was back in town, trying to beat the Dragons again, this time in a matchup between two of the country's top Division II teams. The Dragons won that one. Monday, Reisert was at Heminger Center, joined by his wife and 3-year-old son Hawkins, telling TU radio voice Russ Snyder that he had already taught his child to cheer on his father's new team. "Go Dragons!" Hawkins proudly yelled from the back of the room. After many years of being a competitor, Reisert was welcomed to his new home. He was introduced as Tiffin University's new football coach. "It's amazing how life comes full circle sometimes," Reisert said. "I would have never imagined as a junior in college, playing up here and having the opportunity to play on Tiffin's field, (to) now being the head football coach … it's really a special time in my life and in my family's life." This will be Reisert's first time as a head coach. He spent the last two seasons leading the offense at his alma mater, a school where he emerged — a decade earlier — as one of the NAIA's top quarterbacks. Reisert takes over for Gary Goff, who led Tiffin's program back to national prominence before leaving last month to take the top job at Division II national champion Valdosta State. At the time of Goff's resignation, Tiffin Athletic Director Lonny Allen said the search for Goff's successor would be thorough. That search led him and the school to Reisert. "I have guys that used to coach at Tiffin that know Cris," Allen said Monday. "I had quite a few of those guys call me, and they were (saying) 'The guy's a rock star. He's a guy you have to bring on campus. You bring him on campus, and you're gonna see what we see.'" Allen and the rest of the administration saw it. And Reisert said he was just as impressed with TU. "From the first step I had on campus, I felt very at home here," Reisert said. "I think there's a really unique communal atmosphere. There's a really unique investment from all the people that are in this university and around this community and so, for me and my family, it was such a neat time to be a part (of it). And we're excited to take this thing to new and unseen heights." Reisert has been doing that for programs his entire career. He was a quarterback at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati and was inducted into its athletic hall of fame in 2012. When he was at ODU, he set 10 NAIA passing records, and was the 2007 NAIA Player of the Year. That was the season he came to Tiffin and led the Panthers to a win over the Dragons. As an assistant, Reisert has had numerous stops. After his playing career ended, he spent two seasons with ODU as a graduate assistant and quarterbacks coach. He's also been an assistant at Elon University and Ball State. But as the offensive coordinator for Ohio Dominican in 2017, Reisert's leadership led the Panthers to average better than 45 points a game while winning the Great-Midwest Athletic Conference. Tiffin joined that league before the 2018 season. As the OC for the Panthers, it was Reisert's job to game plan against Dragon defenders. "It's been a very unique viewpoint, especially with the guys on the defensive side of the ball," he said. "I've scouted them, I've evaluated them, I used to kind of exploit them in some regard. It's really been a fun thing for me as I sit down and talk to them. I can share some of the things we saw on film, and some of the things that we noticed in the game, and some of the things we thought were takeaways. That's been a really cool thing." Reisert said he also got a good look the the Tiffin offense this past season. "Obviously, as an offensive coach, you see a bunch of the opposing offenses through your film breakdowns," he said. "I was able to see what we've done up front, and the line did a great job, our quarterback (Nick Watson) has been really successful, and we've got some dynamic guys on the outside." In his eight seasons as coach, Goff used the "air raid" offense, a shotgun, four wide receiver, one back set. It's an offense that quarterbacks like Antonio Pipkin and Watson have thrived in, and one that showcase receivers like Charles Holland. Reisert was asked if TU fans can expect any formation changes. "We're an up-tempo, power-spread offense," he said. "What I can tell you is this: Our scheme will match our personnel. I believe scheme is over-arching. I think that the people you have dictate what you do." What Reisert hopes to do is continue to build a program that has had three consecutive winning seasons and was ranked in the top 25 for part of last season. That includes success that extends beyond the field. "We are so excited to be here. My wife (Emily) and I are fully invested in Tiffin University, but also the Tiffin community," he said. "You're gonna see myself and my family and our program very intertwined in the community moving forward."