Oberlin College Athletics

Zach Opsal enters his first season at Oberlin as the Director of Recruiting and Alumni Engagement in 2026-27 after getting hired in August of 2026.

Bringing over 15 years of experience to Oberlin, Opsal has coached at multiple levels of football, including the FBS, NAIA, and high school prep level, before transitioning to sales roles at TeachTapes and Riddell this past year. Prior to his positions in sales, Opsal was the Special Teams Coordinator at Loyola Academy. Before that, he was the Special Teams Analyst at Northwestern from 2016 to 2025, during which the Wildcats were the Big Ten West Champions in 2018 and 2020. During his tenure in Illinois, Opsal guided four All-Big Ten Selections and a 2026 NFL Combine Invite. Opsal has also held coaching roles at Purdue, Ave Maria, and Northern Illinois. 

Opsal earned a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences Communication - Business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011. Opsal was a long snapper for two years before transitioning to a student assistant role where the Badgers were the Sports Bowl Champions in 2009 and the Big Ten Conference Champions in 2010. Opsal went on to complete his Master's in Sport Management from Northern Illinois in 2013, serving as a graduate assistant for two years where the Huskies won back-to-back Mid-American Conference Championship titles.