At Cincinnati College Prep, Jeff Cargile wants his students to succeed as much in the classroom as on the field. Get to know this football coach.
Jeff Cargile has been a beacon of hope for the Cincinnati College Prep Academy football team.
In four seasons, he's led the Lions to a 29-14 overall record, a three-peat of league titles and the school's first-ever regional semifinal appearance.
But the thing he's most proud of is that the team had a 3.1 grade-point average in the first quarter of this school year.
"Coaching football for me is more than just X's and O's. It's the life lessons that are taught along the way," Cargile wrote in an Oct. 19 Facebook post.
His coaching acumen and desire to see his students achieve bigger and better things helped turn CCPA into a consistent winner on and off the field.
"He's always been a guy with a lot of love. He doesn't know a stranger and he doesn't know an enemy," said St. Henry (Kentucky) head coach Tim Odom, who played against Cargile in high school and alongside him at Ohio State.
Jeff Cargile uses his own experiences to impact his students
In 2019, Cargile's Taft Senators played in the Division V, Region 20 semifinals and had high hopes for the 2020 season.
But during that COVID-shortened season, Cincinnati Public Schools did not kick off until mid-September. It was the only school district in Southwest Ohio not to begin playing in late August. Cargile was among those who spoke publicly, saying they thought the decision hurt the students; he saw multiple players get into trouble with the law while they were unable to play football.
"Looking back on it now, I would have probably done it differently," Cargile said of the situation that may have led to him and Taft parting ways. "But a lot of these kids, you have to merge (academics and athletics) together, because for a lot of them, that's what motivates them to be at school every day."
His main concern was that he didn't want to see his kids go down the same road he had in the 1990s and 2000s. Cargile is approaching 20 years free of drug and alcohol abuse and has spent time in jail for multiple offenses.
In 2015, the Ohio State Board of Education granted Cargile a certificate of qualification for employment (CQE) with the stipulation that he undergo a criminal background check one year later. He has had a spotless record since leaving prison in 2005.
"I've been to the penitentiary, I've been in and out of jail and treatment facilities. I've lost relationships with family members that I've had to regain. They don't have to do that because I already did. I've borne all that pain," Cargile said.
After parting ways with Taft, a school he said he has no ill will toward, he was instantly given another opportunity by then-CCPA head coach Jeremy Pflug. Cargile was the defensive coordinator for one year before taking over as the head coach when Pflug left to coach at Woodward.
While the Lions struggled in his first year and ended with a 5-6 record, they have won at least seven games in each of the last three years, including a trip to the regional semifinals in 2024.
Success has followed Cargile everywhere he's gone. He had a 38-12 record in five years at Taft. After a college career where he was a three-year letter winner at Ohio State, he spent stints at Withrow, Madeira and his alma mater, Roger Bacon.
"He was the most talented competitor we played against in the GCL those years. He was an unbelievable running back and a tremendous human being," Odom said.
Cargile has a soft spot for small, urban schools because of his upbringing through Roger Bacon. He is most comfortable in those environments, and he said he believes that life has led him to those places because that's where he can have the greatest impact on his students.
"I try to run my program like a Power Five college program. I know I don't have all the resources a lot of these bigger schools have, but one of the things I used to hate hearing coaches and administrators say was, 'You can't do that stuff at Taft or at Withrow.' I've always come from the school of 'you can.'" Cargile said. "I'm very firm and very stern in my message to them, but I love my kids at the same time. I try to give them the best opportunities that I can."
What is Cincinnati College Prep's 2026 season outlook?
The CMAC website listed 40 players on CCPA's 2025 roster. Only five were seniors.
The Lions, who went 8-3 this season and won a third straight CMAC-Blue title, return quarterback Kemmarion McCray, leading rusher Marlan Robertson, top receivers Kendrick Napier and Mario Meatchem, and defensive stars Sir Michael Miller, Charles Howard, Kenny Powe, Ryan Drew and Ramik Bell.
"I am so excited and I'm so anxious to get this offseason started. This team that I have coming back, there's no way that we should not be playing in the regional semi or the regional championship next year. I'm anxious for my kids to get to compete with the St. Henrys and the Marion Locals," Cargile said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jeff Cargile brings compassion, winning attitude to CCPA football
Category: General Sports
