Hiring a university soccer coach is not a science. In truth, the entire course of is nearer to an entire gamble.
Positive, administrations can do their analysis and undergo the entire vetting course of. Good athletic administrators will go away no stone unturned when attempting to fill a emptiness. However even probably the most can’t-miss rent can backfire in school soccer.
Generally faculties simply swing huge and miss — or they might be pressured to settle after hanging out on different targets. Or they simply fully whiff on somebody they thought would pan out. Regardless of the case could also be, there are a variety of methods to fumble a training search.
There have been loads of notable mishaps all through this sport’s historical past. Some did not work out when contextualized with the present of hindsight. Others had been useless on arrival. With peak offseason in full swing, here is a glance again at 15 of the worst teaching hires from the previous decade of faculty soccer.
15. Chris Ash, Rutgers (2016-19)
Report: 8-32
Ash inherited a little bit of a large number left by his predecessor Kyle Flood, but it surely turned obvious quite rapidly that Ash was ill-prepared to proper the ship in his first head teaching job. Ash solely gained greater than two video games in a single season as soon as, and the Scarlet Knights didn’t win a single Huge Ten sport in three out of 4 seasons below Ash. He was fired halfway by the 2019 marketing campaign, and after a quick stint at Texas in 2020, he just lately made his return to school soccer as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator.
Report: 5-6
Rolovich had the unenviable job of changing the nice Mike Leach, who left Washington State for Mississippi State after eight years with the Cougars. Compounding issues was the COVID-19 pandemic in Rolovich’s first 12 months; it is comprehensible that Washington State went 1-3 in 2020. Rolovich made it seven video games into the 2021 season, with a 4-3 file, earlier than he was fired for failing to adjust to Washington’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state staff. Off-field developments apart, Rolovich’s Washington State by no means amounted to a lot. Wazzu was fortunate that Jake Dickert was capable of stabilize issues, no less than.
13. Scott Frost, Nebraska (2018-22)
Report: 16-31
On the time, Frost was a major rent for Nebraska. He was contemporary off a 13-0 season after downing Gus Malzahn’s Auburn within the Peach Bowl. And as we’ll see afterward this checklist, a variety of Nebraska’s early struggles in Frost’s tenure weren’t essentially his fault. However the excessive level of Frost’s tenure was a 5-7 2019 marketing campaign. He by no means made a bowl sport gained a complete of seven video games in his last three years. If Nebraska already had one foot within the grave earlier than Frost obtained there, he ensured the once-proud Huskers had been six toes below by the point he left.
12. Kevin Sumlin, Arizona (2018-20)
Report: 9-20
On the time, Sumlin appeared like a low-risk rent for Arizona. He had a strong — if fully common — six years at Texas A&M, posting a profitable file in every season. He was fired just because he was by no means capable of take the Aggies to that subsequent degree as 8-4 turned the usual. Given the Wildcats’ standing round this time, hiring Sumlin was a reasonably constructive transfer that usually obtained reward, so it was pretty stunning that he drove this system into the bottom. Over three years, Sumlin amassed a 9-20 file, with 5 of these wins coming in his first season on the helm.
Report: 20-14
Tucker had a constructive file at Michigan State, so absolutely his tenure could not have been that unhealthy? Proper? Effectively, 11 of these wins got here in 2021 on the again of Doak Walker-award profitable operating again Kenneth Walker III, a grand-slam switch acquisition from Wake Forest. Which means Tucker gained a mixed seven video games in his different two full seasons. Even worse, Tucker was ousted from this system in 2023 after Michigan State launched an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.
10. Bryan Harsin, Auburn (2021-22)
Report: 9-12
Harsin was by no means a very good match at Auburn, even when he got here to The Plains with a strong résumé from his time at Boise State. He did not have the backing of the boosters, and his pairing with the Tigers was the results of a busy teaching search run by an athletic director with out a lot big-time expertise. Harsin wasn’t prepared for the grind of SEC recruiting and put Auburn in a expertise gap that it is nonetheless attempting to dig out of below coach Hugh Freeze. It is no marvel that Harsin solely obtained 21 video games.
9. Herm Edwards, Arizona State (2018-22)
Report: 18-20
Hiring Edwards was a head-scratcher from the beginning. His final teaching appointment, previous to the Solar Devils, was with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in 2008. Not solely had he gone a decade with out teaching, however he hadn’t been a university coach since 1989 when he mentored defensive backs at San Jose State. His first couple of years had been strong sufficient, but it surely didn’t take lengthy for Edwards to show that he was not able to adapt to the quickly evolving school sport.
In June 2021, Arizona State confirmed that the NCAA was investigating its soccer program for recruiting violations. After that 12 months, 17 gamers, together with future Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, transferred away. Even so, it wasn’t till 2023 that Edwards was fired three video games into the 12 months. On account of the NCAA investigation, Edwards was hit with a five-year show-cause penalty and Arizona State needed to vacate 9 of its paltry 10 wins from 2021-22. Fortunately for the Solar Devils, it looks like they discovered an actual gem with Kenny Dillingham.
8. Jimmy Lake, Washington (2020-21)
Report: 7-6
The 2021 season was tough for coaches within the state of Washington. To condense this entry right into a sentence, Lake was not able to be a head coach. When Chris Petersen stepped down on the finish of the 2019 season, Lake, a longtime Washington assistant, was hand-picked internally as his successor. Lake confronted loads of issues in 2020 with the season muddled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Huskies nonetheless discovered some success and gained the Pac-12 North with a 3-1 file.
However with lofty expectations and one of many Pac-12’s most gifted rosters getting into 2021, Washington fell flat on its face. The Huskies misplaced to Montana within the first sport of the season and adopted that up with a 21-point defeat at Michigan per week later. Lake was suspended with out pay in November that season after shoving a participant in a loss to Oregon and fired six days later.
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7. Mike Riley, Nebraska (2015-17)
Report: 19-19
The monkey paw actually curled when Nebraska fired Bo Pelini for, within the phrases of then-athletic director Shawn Eichorst, not profitable “the video games that mattered probably the most.” One would suppose that since constant nine-win seasons weren’t sufficient for Nebraska, the administration would swing for the fences with its teaching search.
As an alternative, they settled on Mike Riley, an completed coach however an odd match. His 2015 debut was this system’s first shedding season (6-7) since 2007. He rebounded in 2016 with a 9-4 displaying however regressed as soon as extra in 2017 because the Huskers completed 4-8. That led to Nebraska shifting on from Riley, whose 19-19 profession mark with Nebraska was the worst for any Huskers coach since 1961… till Frost got here alongside.
6. Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech (2019-22)
Report: 10-28
Collins is the faculty soccer definition of all flash, no substance. He carved a strong repute as a top-shelf defensive coordinator by stints at Mississippi State (2011-14) and Florida (2015-16) adopted by an honest, if unspectacular, two years as the pinnacle coach at Temple. Apparently, his 15 wins with the Owls — a program that had 20 wins below coach Matt Rhule from 2015-16 — had been sufficient to promote Georgia Tech on the largely unproven Collins as program legend Paul Johnson’s successor. He by no means gained greater than three video games in a single season and had a mean end of sixth out of seven groups within the ACC Coastal.
5. Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee (2018-20)
Report: 5-19
Pruitt, who coached below the likes of Jimbo Fisher, Mark Richt and Nick Saban, was top-of-the-line defensive coordinators of the previous decade. It appeared like a matter of time earlier than he earned a power-conference job. Tennessee made {that a} actuality in 2018, tabbing him because the staff’s chief after a bungled teaching search. That, in itself, is a narrative for one more time.
His actual legacy lies within the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations that led to his firing for trigger following a 3-7 2020 marketing campaign. The NCAA Committee on Infractions discovered the Pruitt’s program liable for greater than 200 particular person violations, together with 18 Degree I in nature. All of his wins from 2019-20 had been vacated, and Tennessee was hit with a scholarship discount that hindered new coach Josh Heupel till just lately — plus an $8 million high quality. Pruitt will doubtless by no means coach school soccer once more. Given what he left Heupel, it is a miracle that he has gained 37 video games in 4 years.
4. Willie Taggart, Florida State (2018-19)
Report: 9-12
Taggart had an fascinating pedigree when he arrived at Florida State. He spent only one season with Oregon beforehand, main the Geese to a 7-5 file. Previous to that, he coached at Western Kentucky (2010-12) and South Florida (2013-16) with only a 40-45 file mixed. He did construct South Florida from a 2-10 staff in 2013 to 10-2 in his last 12 months with this system whereas steadily constructing it right into a competitor. He inherited a comparatively gifted Seminoles roster that was in steady situation after coach Jimbo Fisher resigned, however he was fired after profitable simply 9 video games in two seasons. So as to add insult to damage, Taggart’s firing incurred a near-$18 million buyout for the Seminoles.
3. Ryan Walters, Purdue (2023-24)
Report: 5-19
Jeff Brohm proved that regardless of Purdue’s inherent disadvantages within the Huge Ten, a artistic, skilled coach can get loads out of the Boilermakers. So Purdue changed Brohm with an unproven defensive thoughts in Walters. Time rapidly confirmed he was completely not able to run a program. Purdue plummeted from a paltry 4-8 in 2023 to 1-11 final season, with these 11 losses coming by a mean of 30.8 factors per sport. It did not take lengthy for Walters to completely demolish what Brohm constructed. Time will inform if new coach Barry Odom can decide the items up.
2. Les Miles, Kansas (2019-20)
Report: 3-18
Miles’ hiring at Kansas got here fully out of left subject. He succeeded at LSU, competing within the ferocious SEC West, with one nationwide title win and two SEC titles. When he was fired in 2016, it appeared just like the then-65-year previous Miles was content material on calling it a profession. The Jayhawks luring him out of retirement was gorgeous, to say the least. Issues unraveled rapidly, and in March 2021, he was positioned on administrative go away amid an investigation into inappropriate conduct with feminine college students whereas he was at LSU. Three days later, Kansas and Miles agreed to mutually half methods.
1. Chad Morris, Arkansas (2018-19)
Report: 4-18
Morris made his title as an offensive coordinator at Clemson from 2011-14 and had deep ties to Texas’ highschool neighborhood. His three years at SMU had been OK — the Mustangs improved incrementally however had a sub.-500 file below Morris — and he was clearly overmatched at Arkansas. He completed with an 0-14 file in SEC play, making him the one full-time coach in Arkansas historical past to depart and not using a single convention win. He additionally had simply two victories towards FBS opponents and was canned earlier than he might full two full seasons in Fayetteville. Calling the entire saga a catastrophe could be beneficiant.
