Cappi thrives on belief, hard work
The journey from a walk-on to a DI season-opening starter is not an easy one. However, Tyler Cappi proved through belief and hard work that it can be done.
Troy's fifth-year player is a rare archetype in today's college sports landscape. Where many players play at five schools in five years, the former walk-on has stayed committed to Troy throughout his entire career, through championships and coaching changes.
“Whenever there are new recruits coming in, I’ll say, ‘this is the place,’” Cappi said. “I’ve been here five years, and I don't want to leave.
“I don’t want to go anywhere else.”
Cappi may have played his high school ball in Priceville, Alabama, to get noticed by Troy, but his start comes from much farther away.
The son of Tony and Yangyoung Cappi was born in Uijeongbu, South Korea. While many collegiate football players have a football with them from the cradle, the future starter for the Troy Trojans had never watched football for the first decade of his life.
Moving to America from a small town in South Korea also brought a massive culture shock. All of which shapes who Cappi is today.
“It just humbles me because I’ve never even watched football until I came to the US, and I had to learn a lot of stuff,” Cappi said. “Also having to get integrated back into a normal life here, I was like, this is crazy.
“The food and the culture, everything is so much different.”
The South Korea native found success at the high school level in many sports, including basketball, soccer, track & field and, of course, football. However, the walk-on still had a long way to go before seeing real game action for the Trojans.
But with belief and lots of hard work, not much is impossible.
“Coach Popovich believed in me and said, ‘you can do it if you work on it for a long time; you can be a center here,’” Cappi said. “Then Coach Carbine came in, and he really believed in me because he was a former walk-on center.
“That belief and camaraderie with my coach just pretty much tied the knot. I know he is here for me, and I am here for him, and I will die for that guy.”
No. 65 is holding down the center position as one of two returners to start on Troy’s revamped offensive line. This unit saw a flurry of injuries in 2025, forcing many players into roles they might not have expected to start the year. Cappi took advantage of this, making five starts, including the last four games of the year, where he allowed only two sacks in 277 passing situations.
The upperclassman learned the value of depth throughout a season, especially on the offensive line.
“Next man up,” Cappi said. “The twos and even threes have got to be ready to play… we are such a critical role, and those five guys never come out of the game with personnel changes.
“So, you have to maintain your body, being able to perform 70-plus snaps.”
With such importance placed on the offensive line, Troy implemented a coaching adjustment rarely seen outside the NFL and major college football programs. This will be the first year the Trojans will have multiple offensive line coaches.
“It is game-changing,” Cappi said. “Coach Reihner understands the game at such a different level, helping everyone out with all the details, and he gets us fired up.
“Coach Carbine is such an analytical and detail-oriented coach, while also being a great motivator. We are going to be elite this year.”
With his last year of eligibility here, the Troy graduate has not overlooked his future. Cappi graduated with a degree in cybersecurity that, paired with his work ethic, will help him succeed after football.
“Graduation really means everything, especially for my mom, because that is all she worried about,” Cappi said. “It can direct me in the right course to take care of my family, my girlfriend and everyone I need to.
“Because football is great, but what is most important is what comes after football.”
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