#CuteSportsGuy

College soccer’s coaching carousel is spinning hard as the 2026 season winds down.Long-tenured coaches are stepping away and openings are stacking up across divisions. Men’s side highlights: VCU: Dave Giffard retires after 17 seasons (128-120-61, multiple A-10 titles and NCAA appearances). National search underway. Cal State Fullerton: George Kuntz retires after 13 years with the Titans (and a long, successful career before that). Others open or transitioning: Boston College (already filled with Francesco D’Agostino), San Jose State, VMI. Women’s side is even more active: BYU: Jennifer Rockwood (the only DI head coach the program has ever had) retires after 31 seasons and 470+ wins. One of the winningest coaches in the sport. National search starts after the tournament. Additional changes at South Florida, Charleston Southern, Iowa State, North Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas State, Rice, USC, Penn, and others. Several more retirements and “parting ways” announcements. The NCAA Market currently shows dozens of soccer-related postings (head coach, assistant, GA roles) across D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and junior college. Salaries and responsibilities vary widely. Some solid D2 head jobs (e.g., Southern Connecticut State in the $116k–$155k range), others much lower at smaller schools. Reality check for everyone involved: Programs lose continuity. Culture, recruiting pipelines, and player development take hits when a long-time coach leaves. Players: Your aid agreement is with the school, not the coach. In D1 there’s a 30-day transfer window exception after a head coach departs (outside the normal Nov 23–Dec 22 window). Talk to compliance early. Coaches looking to move up: There are real openings right now, but the best ones get filled fast. Relationships and a proven ability to develop players still matter more than the highlight reel. Turnover isn’t new, but the volume right now, especially the number of respected, long-tenured coaches choosing to step away, feels elevated. The next few weeks will show which programs treat this as a chance to reset and which just chase the next name. @SRUSA_Official