OPEN Gonzaga - Chris McGaughey (interim) Furman - retirement after 2025 season Liberty - retirement after 2025 season George Washington - after season 10/15 Winthrop - 11/3 Navy - 11/13 Butler - 11/14 Radford - 11/14 Utah Valley - 11/15 Western Illinois - retirement 11/18 FILLED Manhattan - Tom Giovatto (Long Island Womens head; 6/19-7/10) Hofstra - Stephen Roche (Hofstra associate head; 8/11 — taking over after 2025 fall retirement) Bellarmine - Matt Cannady (Bellarmine assistant; retirement after 2025 season - 9/17-9/18) Coastal Carolina - Adam Perron (Virginia associate head - retirement 8/13-11/11)
OPEN Gonzaga - Chris McGaughey (interim) Furman - retirement after 2025 season Liberty - retirement after 2025 season George Washington - after season 10/15 Winthrop - 11/3 Navy - 11/13 Butler - 11/14 Radford - 11/14 Utah Valley - 11/15 Western Illinois - retirement 11/18 Dartmouth - 11/18 FILLED Manhattan - Tom Giovatto (Long Island Womens head; 6/19-7/10) Hofstra - Stephen Roche (Hofstra associate head; 8/11 — taking over after 2025 fall retirement) Bellarmine - Matt Cannady (Bellarmine assistant; retirement after 2025 season - 9/17-9/18) Coastal Carolina - Adam Perron (Virginia associate head - retirement 8/13-11/11)
Liberty is filled, interesting hire https://libertyflames.com/news/2025...es-wells-as-flames-new-head-mens-soccer-coach
Now that is a proper retirement announcement. Good on WIU for giving him his flowers in that article. Too often coaches who have served at an institution for decades and maybe don’t go out on top, get lip service announcements.
OPEN Gonzaga - Chris McGaughey (interim) Furman - retirement after 2025 season George Washington - after season 10/15 Winthrop - 11/3 Navy - 11/13 Butler - 11/14 Radford - 11/14 Utah Valley - 11/15 Western Illinois - retirement 11/18 Dartmouth - 11/18 Gardner Webb - 11/18 FILLED Manhattan - Tom Giovatto (Long Island Womens head; 6/19-7/10) Hofstra - Stephen Roche (Hofstra associate head; 8/11 — taking over after 2025 fall retirement) Bellarmine - Matt Cannady (Bellarmine assistant; retirement after 2025 season - 9/17-9/18) Coastal Carolina - Adam Perron (Virginia associate head - retirement 8/13-11/11) Liberty - Scott Wells (Gardner Webb head; retirement after 2025 season-11/18)
Coach Johnson was a great servant to WIU (regardless of results), and their athletic department has to appreciate it. Never met the guy, but I have met coaches who have worked with him and coached against him and not a lot of bad things said about him.
Early money is on his son to take over. https://goleathernecks.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/coaches/kooten-johnson/2824
Figured Wells would have gotten better offers than Liberty. All the money Liberty brings in and very little goes to the soccer program. They have always been poor to mediocre making the NCAA only twice in 2007 and 2011. They are also going from the OVC to the stronger SoCon next year Liberty spent years in the Big South not able to get though Coastal Carolina, Campbell or High Point.
I would assume it pays better than GW with much better facilities, but still would have thought a bigger move for him was likely.
Probably so but then again Liberty isn't one of the 28 programs in DI paying over 100K. so it can't be that significant. Furman is a better job but no waaaay would I want to follow Doug Allison. The big difference I see facility wise is Gardner Webb plays soccer at their football stadium and Liberty has a soccer specific stadium. But it also looks tiny.
Gardner Webb has their own soccer stadium. They dont play in the football stadium. Maybe with the move to the socon they are investing more into the program? Also, https://pacifictigers.com/news/2025...nge-in-leadership-in-mens-soccer-program.aspx
OPEN Gonzaga - Chris McGaughey (interim) Furman - retirement after 2025 season George Washington - after season 10/15 Winthrop - 11/3 Navy - 11/13 Butler - 11/14 Radford - 11/14 Utah Valley - 11/15 Western Illinois - retirement 11/18 Dartmouth - 11/18 Gardner Webb - 11/18 Pacific - 11/19 Northern Kentucky - 11/19 FILLED Manhattan - Tom Giovatto (Long Island Womens head; 6/19-7/10) Hofstra - Stephen Roche (Hofstra associate head; 8/11 — taking over after 2025 fall retirement) Bellarmine - Matt Cannady (Bellarmine assistant; retirement after 2025 season - 9/17-9/18) Coastal Carolina - Adam Perron (Virginia associate head - retirement 8/13-11/11) Liberty - Scott Wells (Gardner Webb head; retirement after 2025 season-11/18)
Last offseason there were 11 changes (12 if you put the Manhattan one there), and 17 (not counting Manhattan) by November 19 this year. Was last year low or is this year high?
Usually, coaches who take the Liberty gig have a strong Christian affiliation. Not sure if that was part of the decision
OPEN Gonzaga - Chris McGaughey (interim) Furman - retirement after 2025 season George Washington - after season 10/15 Winthrop - 11/3 Navy - 11/13 Butler - 11/14 Radford - 11/14 Utah Valley - 11/15 Western Illinois - retirement 11/18 Dartmouth - 11/18 Gardner Webb - 11/18 Pacific - 11/19 Northern Kentucky - 11/19 South Florida - retirement 11/20 FILLED Manhattan - Tom Giovatto (Long Island Womens head; 6/19-7/10) Hofstra - Stephen Roche (Hofstra associate head; 8/11 — taking over after 2025 fall retirement) Bellarmine - Matt Cannady (Bellarmine assistant; retirement after 2025 season - 9/17-9/18) Coastal Carolina - Adam Perron (Virginia associate head - retirement 8/13-11/11) Liberty - Scott Wells (Gardner Webb head; retirement after 2025 season-11/18)