CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Campbellsville University Director of Athletics Adam Preston announced today that Head Football Coach Jake Russell is stepping down from his position to pursue a new professional opportunity.
Russell, a 2016 Campbellsville graduate and record-setting quarterback for the Fighting Tigers, concludes a transformative three-year tenure that saw the program return to national prominence. Under his leadership, the Tigers achieved their highest national ranking in a decade, finishing the 2025 season ranked No. 11 in the NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll.
"Jake has been instrumental in revitalizing our football program and elevating expectations across our entire athletic department," said Preston. "As a Campbellsville alumnus, he led with passion and an unwavering commitment to excellence. We are incredibly grateful for his leadership and the standard he set for Fighting Tiger Football. While we will certainly miss him, we fully support his next step and wish him nothing but success."
Russell's tenure was marked by rapid and consistent improvement. After a rebuilding season in 2023, he guided the Tigers to a 9–2 record in 2024, earning the highest win percentage of any university football program in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
That momentum carried into a historic 2025 campaign, as Campbellsville finished 8–3 and earned an at-large bid to the NAIA Football Championship Series, its first playoff appearance since 2015, a team Russell himself quarterbacked. The Tigers advanced to the second round, narrowly falling 21–17 to #5-seed Benedictine College in a tightly contested match-up.
"Coach Russell exemplified what it means to be a servant leader and coach at Campbellsville University," said President Joseph Hopkins. "He invested deeply in his student-athletes, not only developing them as competitors, but also as students and leaders of character. I am especially grateful for his authentic ministry through our football program and the way he lives out our Christ-centered mission each day. We are thankful for his contributions to our campus community and proud of the legacy he leaves behind."
Beyond wins and losses, Russell re-established a culture of excellence on and off the field. The 2025 squad produced 15 All-Mid-South Conference selections, the MSC Special Teams Player of the Year, and 23 Academic All-Conference honorees.
Russell's connection to Campbellsville runs deep. As a student-athlete, he ranks second in program history in career passing yards (6,703) and passing touchdowns (66) and still holds the single-season record for touchdown passes with 38 during the 2015 season.
"The last three years serving as the Head Football Coach at Campbellsville University has truly been a dream come true," Russell shared. "Only because of amazing student-athletes, managers, staff members, and an unmatched support system have we been able to accomplish special things on and off the field. I am proud of the history we made athletically, but I am proudest of the 21 young men who gave their life to Christ through baptism during my time coaching. Campbellsville will always be a home and place that has greatly blessed my life. My family and I are excited for the next chapter we're being called into, but also excited to see how God uses Campbellsville and the Fighting Tiger Football program moving forward."
A national search for the next Head Football Coach will begin immediately. Campbellsville University remains committed to building upon the strong foundation established over the past three seasons and continuing the upward momentum of Fighting Tiger Football into the 2026 season and beyond.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed, Kentucky-based Christian university that enrolls nearly 10,000 students and offers over 100 programs of study, including certificates, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. CU is committed to academic excellence, solidly grounded in the liberal arts, that fosters personal growth, integrity, and professional preparation within a caring environment.
