2025 School Soccer Week 15 Buzz: JMU Hires Billy Napier as its Subsequent Head Coach

[ad_1] School soccer information is nonstop, and we're breaking all of it down week by week this season.

This is the newest on what's occurring round school soccer coming into Week 15:

James Madison hires Billy Napier as its subsequent head coach James Madison and Billy Napier agreed to a five-year deal that makes Napier the Dukes' subsequent head coach. Napier spent 4 seasons at Florida, earlier than the Gators fired him seven video games into the 2025 season. The final two JMU head coaches embrace Indiana's Curt Cignetti and newly-hired UCLA coach Bob Chesney, so each of their final leaders went on to earn Energy-4 convention jobs.

Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer denies curiosity in Penn State job Regardless of just lately being linked to the PSU emptiness, DeBoer is not curious about some other school teaching jobs. The 51-year-old, who's in his second season with the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide, boasts a 19-6 file with Alabama.

"Love this place," DeBoer stated Thursday, in accordance with ESPN. "There's by no means been any hyperlink, there's by no means been any dialog, there's by no means been any curiosity both means. So I am glad we will put that to mattress proper now."

Florida hires Brad White as new DC Jon Sumrall made his first official rent as Florida’s soccer coach Thursday, bringing aboard Kentucky’s Brad White as defensive coordinator. The 43-year-old White spent the final eight years in Lexington, together with seven of these answerable for the Wildcats’ protection. Sumrall and White overlapped on that facet of the ball between 2019 and 2021, together with working their ultimate 12 months collectively as co-DCs. Sumrall left Kentucky to develop into Troy’s coach in 2022 and spent the final two years at Tulane. Below White’s course, Kentucky fielded defenses that ranked within the prime 25 nationally in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022; his unit ranked sixth nationally in 2018.

Lousiville HC Jeff Brohm staying put Brohm has knowledgeable Louisville that he is staying put, per ESPN. Brohm, who was a quarterback at Lousiville from 1989-93, is in his third season teaching the Cardinals. This season, Louisville is 8-4 total and a mixed 27-12 beneath him since 2023. Brohm, who had been linked to Penn State's head-coaching emptiness, had earlier head-coaching stints at Purdue and Western Kentucky.

Georgia Tech HC Brent Key will get five-year extension Georgia Tech introduced a brand new five-year contract for coach Brent Key on Wednesday, rewarding the coach with an extension for the second consecutive 12 months. Key led the No. 24 Yellow Jackets to a 9-3 common season. Georgia Tech introduced the athletic affiliation's board of trustees accredited the brand new deal, which can prolong by way of the 2030 season. Key additionally obtained a brand new five-year deal in 2024, when the Yellow Jackets completed 7-6.

Georgia Tech didn't launch phrases of the brand new deal. Yahoo Sports activities reported the contract's common worth is $6.5 million per 12 months, which might be a rise of about $2 million in complete compensation.

Key, a former Georgia Tech participant, has led the Yellow Jackets to a 27-19 file in three-plus seasons, together with eight video games as interim head coach in 2022. He was named the everlasting head coach for the 2023 season. He has been talked about in hypothesis about vacant teaching positions at different faculties and has stated he intends to stay at his alma mater. "There is no such thing as a different place or alternative on the market like Georgia Tech," Key stated in a press release.

Kansas State HC Chris Klieman retires Ok-State's Klieman is retiring, in accordance with FOX Sports activities school soccer reporter Bruce Feldman, and Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein is changing into the Wildcats' new head coach. Klieman was Kansas State's head coach from 2019-25, with the Wildcats profitable the Huge 12 in 2022 and posting a mixed 54-34 file over seven seasons. He was beforehand the pinnacle coach at North Dakota State from 2014-18. Klein, who performed quarterback for the Wildcats from 2008-12, was an assistant coach at Kansas State from 2017-23. It's unclear whether or not Klein could be allowed to assist coach the Aggies if they're chosen for the CFP.

South Florida hires Brian Hartline as HC USF is bringing in Hartline, the long-time Ohio State offensive assistant, to be its new head coach, per ESPN. Hartline, a Buckeyes vast receiver from 2005-08, held quite a few roles on OSU's teaching employees from 2017-25, together with offensive coordinator, WRs coach and offensive high quality management assistant. USF (9-3) misplaced HC Alex Golesh to Auburn.

Ole Miss OC will end season with Rebels Charlie Weis Jr., the Rebels' offensive coordinator, will end the 2025 season with Ole Miss earlier than formally changing into the brand new offensive coordinator at LSU beneath head coach Lane Kiffin, who formally left Ole Miss for LSU on Sunday. Ole Miss introduced that Weis could be on its teaching employees on Tuesday, with Kiffin releasing a press release on the matter.

"With the playoff committee releasing up to date rankings tonight, I wished it to be identified that after conversations with LSU, we're permitting Charlie to return to Ole Miss to teach the workforce in the course of the playoffs," Kiffin stated in a press release. "I've already made the committee conscious of this and I’m hopeful this determination will permit Ole Miss to obtain the very best rating doable as a result of these nice gamers are very deserving of that. I’m excited that Charlie can be again to assist coach the best workforce within the historical past of Ole Miss."

Weis, who has been the Rebels' OC/quarterbacks coach since 2022, stated in a press release that he is "grateful" to LSU for letting him keep at Ole Miss by way of the top of the season. The Rebels (11-1) are the No. 7-ranked workforce within the nation.

Cal identifies prime goal for HC emptiness On the heels of firing its head coach, Cal is reportedly concentrating on Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi to develop into its subsequent head coach, per CBS Sports activities. The anticipated transfer to usher in Lupoi, Oregon's defensive coordinator since 2022, fills the void left by the dismissal of Justin Wilcox, who was fired after 9 seasons on Nov. 23 following the workforce’s loss to Stanford. Wilcox coached the Golden Bears from 2017-2025, going 48-55 total and 6-5 this season.

Kentucky has sights set on subsequent head coach Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein is the goal to be the subsequent coach at Kentucky, and each side are actively working towards a deal, in accordance with a number of reviews. Kentucky fired Mark Stoops, the SEC's longest-tenured coach, on Monday, ending his tenure in his thirteenth season with the Wildcats after back-to-back shedding data.

Stein, a Kentucky native, could be the sixth SEC head coach employed previously few days. Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss to take over for convention rival LSU, the Rebels promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to take over, Florida employed Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, Arkansas employed Memphis' Ryan Silverfield and Auburn employed South Florida's Alex Golesh.

Nebraska fires defensive coordinator Nebraska first-year DC John Butler was fired Monday after the Cornhuskers misplaced 4 of their previous six video games and struggled all season to cease the run. Head coach Matt Rhule named affiliate head coach Phil Snow the interim DC for the Huskers' bowl sport and stated he hoped to rent a everlasting alternative for Butler within the coming weeks.

The Huskers (7-5, 4-5) are 14th within the Huge Ten in dashing protection, permitting 171.3 yards per sport and 183 yards in 9 convention video games. They're fifteenth within the Huge Ten and tied for 104th nationally with 19.0 sacks. Nebraska was outscored 77-26 by Penn State and Iowa in its final two video games, gave up a mixed 444 dashing yards and recorded one sack.

Nebraska is second-to-last within the nation in red-zone protection, with opponents coming away with factors on 30 of 31 (96.8%) of their journeys contained in the 20-yard line. The Huskers are final in stopping touchdowns within the crimson zone.

Butler was employed by Rhule after spending six seasons within the NFL because the Buffalo Payments' defensive backs coach. He spent the final two years there because the Payments' passing sport coordinator. He beforehand was on the Houston Texans' employees for 4 seasons. Snow was Rhule's DC with the Carolina Panthers from 2020 to 2022. He additionally has been a DC at Arizona State, UCLA, Washington and Baylor.

The Related Press contributed to this report.

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