Roncalli hires from within for fifth football coach since 2016: 'We have a lot to prove.'
A surprising note, perhaps, about Roncalli’s new football coach: He is the first Roncalli alum to lead the program.
Sam Otley, 31, was the team captain and offensive MVP as a senior for Indiana Football Hall of Fame coach Bruce Scifres. The 2011 Roncalli graduate has been an assistant coach on the staff for the past eight seasons, including the offensive coordinator role in 2022 and ’23.
Now, Otley is the first Roncalli graduate to coach the Royals.
More: High school conference realignment continues with new conference plans for 2026
Insider: IHSAA plans to study one-time 'free' transfer after freshman year
“I was surprised to learn that when they mentioned it,” Otley said. “It is cool because the program is special to me and has been for a long time. I think it’s a testament to the program that they are willing to believe in me as an alum and product of the program to keep moving it forward and carry on the tradition.”
Otley, the oldest of five brothers who all played football, has a deep connection to Roncalli, extending back three generations. After playing fullback at Franklin College, he returned to Roncalli as a fullbacks and tight ends coach in 2016 when Roncalli finished 15-0 and won the Class 4A state championship in Scifres’ final season.
“He was a great mentor for me as a player and then working with him for a year,” Otley said of Scifres. “My experience with him and understanding what it means to be a leader was important to me. Mike Leonard was another Hall of Fame coach I was fortunate enough to play for (at Franklin). Learning what championship football looks like from those two guys, you can see the process behind it and what it means to establish a championship team and culture. Those relationships mean a great deal to me.”
Otley is just the 11th coach in Roncalli’s history, which includes 10 state championships, most recently in 2020 in Class 4A under coach John Rodenberg. Roncalli nearly did it again in 2022 in Eric Quintana’s first year as coach, falling in overtime in the semistate to East Central, which won the state title that year and again in 2023.
Quintana who led the Royals to a 16-9 record over two seasons and was the 2022 Marion County coach of the year, resigned in April citing “philosophical differences.”
Including Scifres’ final season, Otley is the fifth coach to lead the program since 2016. Otley’s connection to Roncalli and the stability it brings likely worked in his favor.
“Stability is important,” Otley said. “That’s something I did bring to the table, being on the staff as long as I have. There is some consistency and that’s something we talked about in the interview. I’m a common face here and the kids know who I am and what I’m about, especially at this point in the spring. I’m proud of how the kids have reacted to change and the momentum that we have going.”
After graduating so many key senior players from the 2022 team, last year was expected to be a rebuilding year for Roncalli. The Royals finished 4-7 with a 17-9 loss to Mooresville in the sectional semifinal.
“I’m not going to give a win-loss projection, but we had a lot of talented young football players who got a taste of varsity football early on in their careers,” Otley said. “I’m excited. We have a lot to prove, and they are working their tails off. That’s my goal to continue to develop everybody and continue day by day with the attitude and effort we’ve been getting from our senior leaders.”
Otley played on four conference champions and teams that advanced to the second round of the Division III playoffs three times at Franklin College, earning team captain status as a senior. He coached on the staff at Franklin and North Carolina Wesleyan before coming back in 2016 to Roncalli, where he also coached the offensive line and running backs. Otley was also an assistant for the boys track and field program.
With Roncalli’s history as a running team and Otley’s background as a fullback and line coach, it would make sense to expect the Royals to follow in that tradition.
“At Roncalli we kind of wear that badge of honor to pound it down teams’ throats and win the line of scrimmage,” Otley said. “But our offensive philosophy will be multiple and balanced when we need to be. We’re going to play sound, fundamental football.”
Otley will teach advanced physical conditioning and work with the athletic department managing the strength and conditioning program.
“Naming Sam Otley as our head coach comes with great excitement,” Roncalli athletic director David Lauck said. “He’s a longtime assistant coach in our program and has been mentored by some outstanding high school and college coaches during his football career. He is a Roncalli alumnus, understands and lives our mission and vision and bleeds red, white and blue.”
Roncalli opens the season on Aug. 23 at Southport.
“I come from a long line of Roncalli football players,” Otley said. “My faith and development as a young adult is something I carry with me still today. My experience at Roncalli provided a strong foundation for my faith and influences me to want to impact these kids in a meaningful way. I can’t wait to get to work.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Roncalli football hires alum, assistant Sam Otley as head coach
