Indiana University – Columbus Men’s and Women’s Soccer – Coach Kevin Nolan

On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Kevin Nolan from the Indiana University Columbus Men’s and Women’s Soccer programs in Columbus, Indiana. We talk about building a young NAIA program, how recruiting has evolved with transfers and eligibility changes, and why character and culture are at the center of every recruiting decision. Coach also shares what makes IU Columbus unique, from the opportunity to earn an Indiana University degree on a smaller campus to the chance for players to make an immediate impact as the program continues to grow. Lastly, we discuss his blue-collar coaching philosophy, the experience of leading both the men’s and women’s programs, and his advice for recruits to choose a school where they’ll be happy, develop, and have the opportunity to play. Learn more about Indiana University.

Matt: [00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer. Today, I’m lucky enough to be joined by Coach Nolan over at IU Columbus. Welcome, Coach 

Coach: Thank you. Thank you. Pleasure having me, man. 

Matt: Yeah, excited to have you here. I, uh, we were just chatting. I, I, I did my, my college coaching time there in Indiana. Used to work the, the IU Bloomington camps, uh, way, way back in the day.

That was, uh, when Jerry’s last year, uh- Oh, really? -I was there. Yeah. Yeah. So that’s how long ago that was, right? Uh- Yeah, we 

Coach: work all those camps right now too. They’re well-run machine, those camps. So we, we, we love the Eaglies and working IU camp, man. It’s great for us. 

Matt: Yeah. It’s, it’s a good spot, uh, over there.

Well, so you- you’re in a bit of a unique position. Wanna set the stage for everybody here. You are the director of soccer at IU Columbus, meaning you are head coach of both programs, is that right? 

Coach: Yes, sir. Busy, busy man. My, uh … Yeah, my wife, uh, she gets a little… She’s great, but in the fall she knows, man, you know, one program it was one thing.

Now with two [00:01:00] it’s like never, never being home for those couple months. So, uh, but yeah, it’s, uh, it’s great. Uh, love it here and, yeah, running both programs. It’s, uh, it’s been fun and it’s been, uh, helped me become a better coach for sure. 

Matt: Well, I, I, I bet. Well, l- let’s talk on the recruiting side first. I mean, big news, uh, shocking the, the, the NCAA world.

I know you guys are NAIA, so it’s not quite there, but I’m guessing NAIA’s gonna, you know, change what they’re doing. But, uh, you know, now it’s a five and five thing. Mm-hmm. Um, uh, so, A, I guess we’ll look … Since you guys are NAIA, uh, everybody’s talking NCAA. What, what’s happening on the NAIA front when it comes to eligibility and timing and all that kind of stuff?

Coach: What can you- Yeah. So we actually got an email yesterday from the NAIA saying, you know, about the new ruling with the five and five. Um, and it’s coming around the pipe that we usually, you know, gonna … I think they’re meeting in September to like vote on it, and they’re probably gonna follow suit with D1 and all that [00:02:00] stuff.

So we kinda, we call whatever NCAA does, basically what I’ve been seeing is NAIA just follow suit and, you know, we’re, we’re, we’re real quick to move on it. So, so yeah, you know, it’s, uh, I think it’s gonna be good. Um, I like it. I think, uh, just makes it simpler. So much, you know, less hectic and like figuring out compliance and all this stuff on these little loopholes and everything.

So I think it’s, it’s gonna be good for us. Um, and I’m not quite sure with all the information, but is it the, did the age, uh, change? Or just you got five years, doesn’t matter? 

Matt: It, your clock starts either when you enroll- 

Coach: Mm-hmm … 

Matt: or your 19th birthday. Okay. So it just depends, right? Okay. Right. So if you take the gap year, then- 

Coach: Yeah

Matt: it’s gonna start when you’re 19, so. 

Coach: So, yeah, that will probably help us out a little bit, ’cause especially when it comes to internationals, ’cause we don’t… We’re like one of the very few NAIA programs that is strictly American-based. Um, so I think that’s gonna help us out against, you know, the competition, ’cause we go up against 28-year-old Brazilians, you know.

So, um, helping, that’s gonna help [00:03:00] us out dramatically and like kind of level the playing field a little bit. Not by much, but definitely will help, uh- us for sure. So yeah, I think it’s exciting. It’s gonna make it a lot easier and, uh, more, uh, just like easy to follow when it comes to eligibility and stuff like that.

So, so excited for it. 

Matt: Yeah. Well, and then we’re 10 days removed from June 15th, the magic day for kids getting those D1 phone calls, uh, as rising juniors. So what, for you guys, ’cause you’re allowed to talk to anybody anytime, right? Mm-hmm. So where, right now, you know, say June W- talk to me about where you’re spending your time on the recruiting trail.

I’m guessing it’s class of ’27s for the most part, both on the guys’ and girls’ side, yeah? 

Coach: Yeah. Yep. So the guys, uh, for the ’26 class is all done. We actually just signed a girl, uh, today for our upcoming twen- for our 2026 class, so she’s a late arrival. Yeah, NAI, we kinda, you know, we don’t really have the luxury of going, you know, too far in advance, uh, for our recruiting classes.

We kinda go class by [00:04:00] class. You know, if we get, um, you know, ahead on stuff, that’s great, but we kinda just work it class by class, ’cause you never know who’s transferring, who’s, you know, who’s gonna be done. Um, so we, we kinda just go off by, by that. And we, you know, I, I came from the JUCO world before. I was, uh, there for eight years most of my career, and, you know, I’m used to signing kids a week of preseason, week before preseason, so we’re always holding out for that last-minute player.

Um, so, so yeah, kinda we’re mostly buttoned up on the men’s side, but, you know, a guy could walk in or come across my desk tomorrow, and w- we get him. So yeah, it’s kinda just, you know, play it by ear and just kinda see what, uh, what the future holds and just kinda react quickly. 

Matt: You, you mentioned the transfer portal and, and I guess one thing we wanna make clear is as an NAI school, you don’t get to see into the portal, right?

So h- how, how do you, h- how does, how does an NAI school manage recruiting NCAA kids that are in the NCAA portal? How, [00:05:00] how, how does that, how does that work? 

Coach: Um, so I’ve been actually getting a lot of, like, emails from companies that are, like, having software that you can get access to the NCAA portal, and, uh, it’s actually…

You know, I was a Division I, uh, coach at Radford for a couple years, and, you know, they’ve actually made it better than what the NCAA p- portal actually looks like. It’s just easier to follow and less time-consuming. So we have access to it now, just through different, you know, third-party stuff like that. Um, but most of the kids that are in the portal, um, I’m usually calling some of my contacts in my network about, you know, who’s in the portal, who do they have, and, um, sometimes they give us heads-up of kids that are going in.

So it’s just kinda we go off that. But yeah, I think soon here I’m gonna be joining one of these third-party, uh, uh, websites or, um, softwares that give me access to it, just to make it easier. 

Matt: So i- in terms of your recruiting, I mean, are you actively pursuing transfers, whether they be from the portal or JUCOs, or is it, you know…

I have a [00:06:00] lot of coaches tell me, “Well, we’re not actively pursuing it, but if it’s a kid who maybe didn’t choose us the first time around-” Right … you know, and they call us, then we’ll look at bringing them in.” Or how, how do you go about that? 

Coach: Right. So, um, early on, so this will be our fourth year in existence at IU Columbus.

I started it three years ago. This will be our first full cycle coming up. Um, so in the beginning, and even till this day, our, our JUCO was very heavily, um, recruiting JUCO transfer guys, just any… And girls. People just, or kids that just have more experience in playing college soccer, ’cause when you got a new program, got a lot of freshmen, you got a lot of growing to do.

Um, so we went heavy on that, and we still do. Our, our top guys and girls are usually transfers or s- kids that played, have experience. Um, I’m not saying some of our freshmen aren’t coming in and, and big contributors right away, but, uh, yeah, we definitely made a big focal point on it. Uh, we try to get those kids, you know.

I think this year for my men’s class we have, I think, half the class are transfers. Um, most of them are either coming from [00:07:00] Division III or other NAIA schools, and then a couple JUCO kids as well. Um, so that’s kind of our bread and butter, and we, we’re, we have, like, kind of a little bit of a niche market we look at, ’cause the in-state kids in Indiana get a real good, cheap deal.

Um, and then we have the Indiana Partners Scholarship, which any of the certain states that are partnered with us, they get in-state tuition waivers as well. Um, so we kind of just keep it to, like, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, just some of those close states. Um, nobody really crazy from anywhere else. So it kind of narrows our market down, um, especially with the JUCO, ’cause we only have one junior college in the state of Indiana, and that’s Marion and Silla, and we usually get a m- a lot of their players.

But we’re getting kids from Illinois JUCOs now, from all over. Um, but yeah, we kind of, it’s kind of a niche market recruiting for us, so it makes it a little bit easier, but it does have its constraints as well. 

Matt: Does Vincennes not have a program anymore? Way down south? I don’t believe so. Okay. They did back when I was coaching down there, but that’s- Yeah

you know, long, long time ago, so I’m not surprised. Yeah, 

Coach: yeah. 

Matt: Um [00:08:00] All right, so whether it’s a JUCO, a freshman, whatever, transfer, kind of what makes up that hierarchy of things you’re looking for in a player both on and off the field on, on both sides, on the men’s and women’s? 

Coach: Um, I would say, like, the one, like, the main thing for us here, you know, being such a, a, a young program is, like, character, you know.

And, and, you know, just being a good, a good person ’cause, um, if we, if we play it right, we’re, we’re hanging out for, for the next four years, so we want it to be someone that’s comfortable, someone that fits into our, our, our culture that, that we’re building here. Um, and then, I mean, obviously being a great player is good as well.

But I’d say the culture, who, who does things the right way on and off the field, that, that’s been kind of the main thing. So we really have been going through, like, a fine brush comb of, like, players, you know, characteristics when they come on. We get them on campus for visits and when we’re interacting with them w- at, at camps and stuff like that, so we really wanna dive into their person, um, and see what, what makes them tick, you know, what, [00:09:00] what good qualities they have.

Um, do they all have to be, you know, the brightest, uh, person, like, conversationally, like, socially? No. Um, but there are certain factors that we’re looking for. Um, it’s just like are they putting the team before themselves? Are they obsessed with soccer? Is this something they really wanna do? Is it just, uh, something to pass the time?

So we really wanna find the kids that this is… they wanna play at, at this level, um, and, and they’re happy to have a chance to do that and then they’re gonna give it all for it. So those are definitely the main things we’re looking at. 

Matt: Okay. Now what, you know, again, we talked about these NCAA rule changes, and I think a lot of coaches are now, at least on, you know, on the D1 side, are struggling because th- they got a roster cap to deal with, right?

Uh, and now there’s all these kids that are gonna have extra years. So what, um, what do you feel is an ideal roster size for you? Uh, for, for each team? 

Coach: Um, so we were– We, we are right now currently operating with a, a reserve team as well. Um, [00:10:00] so we, we’ve been going as, like, a big roster. I think we’re gonna have 43, uh, for this season, for the fall, for the guys, and then the girls are sitting at 24, 25.

Um, so, you know, it j- just depends kind of on, on, on what, you know, the school does. You know, sometimes they push to bring in more kids. Sometimes like, “Hey, this is what it’s gonna be set at, doesn’t really matter.” So, um, I think the ideal roster, though, like, I love having a reserve team. I think it really helps out, um, the development.

It gives kids a chance to play, um, and a chance to develop. Like, I’ve had kids that came in that didn’t, you know, start hot right away, did a couple games with the reserve team and pulled up, um, and they were, like, starting for us in big conference games. So, um, I’m a fan of the big roster if you have the staff and you have the facilities to do it.

Um, but ideally for me, you know, once we get to conference play, we’re, we’re working with maybe our top 20, 22 guys, you know, and then after that, the rotation kind of just goes to, you know, maybe 15 or 14 kids playing. Um, so the bigger the better. You always gotta- Prepare for, you know, injuries and stuff like that, and that just kinda [00:11:00] depends on, you know, your top part of the, the talent pool to the bottom.

You wanna keep that as tight as you can. You don’t want a huge drop-off. So, so yeah, I would say, uh, for NAIA, definitely big rosters are, are good, and it’s very common. Um, but you know, I’m, I’m cool with working with, you know, a 32-person roster as well 

Matt: Okay. Um, well let’s talk a little bit more about the school.

Um, I’m sure folks maybe not, not familiar. There, there’s Columbus, Ohio; Columbus, Georgia; Columbus, Indiana. Yeah. 

Coach: Yeah. 

Matt: Right? So, uh, you’ve been there for a few na- few years now. Tell us what are some, some cool things about the school, maybe some things folks wouldn’t even know by going through the website.

Coach: Yeah. So, um, you know, we do get misba- mistaken for a lot of, like, Columbus, Ohio. We are three hours from Columbus, Ohio. Um, small school, probably right at 1,400, 1,200 kids maybe on campus. Um, the good thing is is we’re in the IU family. We’re one of the six or seven satellite campuses that IU has, so you get a IU degree, um, for a discounted cost.

You know, the price of [00:12:00] that is, you know, we don’t have the big campus like a Bloomington or IU Indy, so we don’t get all those bells and whistles, but you do get the same degree. We are 30 minutes from Bloomington, so a lot of our professors work at both campuses. Um, so the good thing is you get a smaller classroom, you get professors that are actually gonna know who you are.

They’re gonna be, you know, have more time to help you out and get to know you a- as, you know, as a student. Um, so, so that’s, that’s a good benefit of it. Uh, I would say also is that we’re in a great town with Columbus. We have some major, um, industry here when it comes to, like, the Cummins, um, diesel engines factory’s here.

Um, so they’re, they’re a big hirer of our kids when they get out of school. Uh, we also have, like, the Honda plant here. We have a lot of… For being in, you know, southern Indiana where we’re at, we are definitely very diverse for what people might expect, so a lot of different cultures here just through the international companies that are here and just a lot of different, um, you know, just big melting pot and stuff like that.

So it’s a very safe, great town, community. We’re kind of like a hub city. You know, no traffic, [00:13:00] get downtown Indy in 30 minutes. You’re an hour from Louisville and 90 minutes from Cincinnati, so you’re in this perfect little pocket. If you wanna go get some, you know, big city views, you can go do that. Um, if you like the small town stuff like us, then, then that works out too.

Um, but the campus is small, like I said. Um, athletics has only been around five years, so, um, it used to just be a commuter, you know, people from this town went to school here, and that’s about it. Now we’re bringing in kids from all over, um, you know, the region, and it’s brought a lot of life to campus, and it’s made it more, um, getting that college experience, you know?

So, so I say it’s, it’s great when it comes to that, when, you know, a lot of these kids that I’m seeing that are transfers are, “Coach, you know, the school was too big for me. I was getting lost in it.” So, um, the smaller type vibe i- is great. And like I said, you get the IU degree, which is, uh, makes you part of the Hoosier network, which is the biggest alumni network in the country.

So getting a job is, is very, um, you know, very high rate, success rate of us placing our kids, uh, you know, after college. So, so that’s [00:14:00] been a big sell for us as well. Um- Yeah, I would say that’s, that’s kind of the big selling point we have. And then, you know, another big thing for us is, uh, being such a young program that as a freshman, you’re gonna play right away.

You don’t have to sit around and sit behind seniors and stuff like that. You know, this will probably be our biggest senior class this year, ’cause it’ll be our first full cycle. So small school, elig- uh, opportunity to play right away, um, and, you know, be a part of something. Like our, our seniors this year, they’re the founding group that started this program, so no matter what, they’re gonna go down in history as the original OGs that helped build the program.

Um, so we wanna send them off really well this year. And, uh, I told them, you know, it’s not every day you get to be a part of a program where you can be part of the history and the foundation of it going forward, so. 

Matt: Yeah, that’s awesome. Well, let’s fast-forward October, you know, heart of the season. Walk me through what’s a typical week look like for the players in terms of wins, practice, meals, games, all that kind of stuff.

Coach: Sure. So, uh, we have a brand-new training facility which is a mile off campus. It’s [00:15:00] a indoor, full-size turf field. Um, weight room’s in that same, uh, building as well. So we, uh, we start out with, uh, some very humble, uh, facilities. Now, I think we went from one of the worst facilities to one of the best, uh, in our region now.

Um, so I’d say average day or average week in October, we’re looking at two games a week. So conference is either Thursday, Saturday, or Wednesday, Saturday. So you’re looking at two games there. Um, usually give them one day off, which is Sunday. So Monday you’ll probably have training in the morning, starting around like 8:00 in the morning, go to like 9:30, 10:00.

Um, either… you’ll either have weights immediately after it or later in the afternoon, then you’re in class. Plus you gotta do six hours of study hall. We recom- uh, we, we, um, we make them do a week. So six hours of study hall, training in the morning. Probably in the fall, one or two weight sessions a week. So Monday we’ll do weights, and then probably Friday we’ll do weights.

Um, and that’s mostly not even like heavy lifting, just [00:16:00] like some injury prevention, some mobility stuff like that. Um, and then, you know, you’re training, training the rest of the time. And then either going on a bus to, uh, West Virginia Tech, which is six hours away, for a conference game, or maybe you’re going, uh, down the road and playing IU East, uh, which is a big rival for us.

So you know, very… it’s probably a 40-hour week workday, you know. It’s, uh, it’s very, very busy and then, uh, you know, you really gotta be on your time management, and that’s something we try to help all of our new kids with, is getting them, you know, their schedule down and, and just getting them disciplined on that.

‘Cause they think it’s, it’s tough during preseason. I tell them preseason’s the easy part, because you don’t go worry about class. Then you throw classes into it, then it starts to get a little bit more, uh, a little more crazier. So, but the good thing is, is like a lot of our classes are, are hybrid, so you can either take them in person or take them online.

So some of our kids, if they plan their schedule the right way, they’re only maybe going to school two, maybe three days a week. Um, we’re– I have a lot of kids, especially my upperclassmen, they’re going to school maybe in person Tuesday, Thursday. The rest of the days [00:17:00] they have off. Um, nobody really has class on Friday, so we use Friday to get a lot of, uh, um, recovery, a lot of film, you know, in between the two games, going off of the last game, preparing for the next one.

So, uh, yeah, I think, uh, with the school being the size and our academic catalog, it’s, uh, can be very, very, uh, structured, and you have a lot of leisure time to get your other stuff done. 

Matt: Oh, that sounds good. Well, we talked roster size earlier, but let’s talk about the rest of the roster. In running both programs, you gotta have some help there.

So talk to me about who else is on that roster in terms of coaches, support staff, folks who help out with the program, and what roles do they play? Sure. 

Coach: For sure. So I have- Four assistants. I have two on the men’s side. Um, John Michael Bright is my first assistant. He actually has been my road dog. He’s, he’s been at three different colleges with me, um, as a player.

He was at two of my JUCOs, Spartanburg Methodist College, Iowa Lakes Community College. Uh, then when I got the job here, [00:18:00] I got him to transfer from Governor State, and, uh, he came in and played a year here, broke… You know, set the, the goal-scoring record, which hasn’t been touched yet. Um, and then after that, we, uh, we made him an assista- an assistant with me.

So he’s my first assistant. I have a full goalkeeper coach for both programs, Zach Roberts. Um, he helps out on the men’s and women’s side, but definitely his main focus is the keepers. Um, and then I have Janet Hurt, who I just brought on today, as my first women’s assistant. Um, she’s been great. She’s come in in January, and has really, uh, hit the ground running.

She’s big in, uh, Indiana ODP. She’s worked a lot with the local high schools here, so she’s been a good local contact for us, and, uh, helped out tremendously, and she’s very organized, which I love, ’cause I am organized, but she is… She’s got a little bit more better than me, so she, she’s great to have. And then I have a director of operations, Chijioke Akajobe, um, who happens to be Oguchi Onyewu’s, uh, cousin.

Um, so US Soccer Federation president’s cousin. He’s here working with us. He does, like, the, our social media, the operations point. You know, helps us with [00:19:00] fundraising and, and stuff like that. Um, so he’s been a good, uh, addition as well. He actually played with me in college at Gardner-Webb, um, and he came in in January as well.

So the staff is great. Um, I really couldn’t run these programs without them. You know, running one is, is a lot, but two is, is crazy. But, uh, we’ve been able to successfully do it just because of the support of my staff, with this staff currently, and some of the previous assistants I had before. So kudos to them, man.

They help me make this thing run. 

Matt: Oh, that’s fantastic. All right, well, what about you? Talk to us about, uh, your coaching style and, and how you run the two programs. 

Coach: Yeah, so, um, you know, coaching style, very, like, blue collar, just hardworking, uh, mentality. You know, we want to, uh, be a tough opponent. You know, we want…

Um, we like to play physical, pressing, attacking soccer, um, but, you know, being disciplined, uh, as well. The, uh, the little things are, are big for me. So, you know, if you’re consistently having a good first touch, you know, we’re disciplined and doing all the little things, you know, whether it comes, like, showing up on time to practice, wearing the [00:20:00] right gear, um, just doing all those little things right.

I think if when we focus on that and those things are, are always consistently on par, then, then we have a successful season, you know? So big, big, uh, big on, like, the little things, just little things right. We don’t need to overcomplicate it. Tactics are great and all. You know, I’ve… I don’t really have, like, a set formation or a style that I play.

I kind of just adjust it to my players. And, you know, with us when it comes to recruiting, we, we are not really like, “Hey, we need, like, five left backs, and we need this or that.” We wanna get those if we need them. Um, but we, we kind of just Frankenstein and get the best available players and, you know, move guys around and girls around to best suit our, our, uh, our style and our strengths.

You know, we try to implement and highlight our strengths and try to hide our weaknesses as best we can. So, uh, it’s kind of just, you know, go off the cusp and see what’s, uh, what, what do we got, what kind of ingredients we have to cook with, and, and that’s kind of what we do. But, you know, culture’s been a big thing in my coaching, uh, philosophy, just making sure that everybody’s bought into the same goal.

You know, I’ve had teams that are super talented [00:21:00] that didn’t, uh, perform as well as they should have, and I have teams that weren’t super talented that, you know, performed above and beyond. So that was a big, uh, factor to me and as my, uh, growth as a coach is seeing, hey, talent’s great and all, but if you have the right mentality, the right generals in your locker room, uh, they make your life a lot easier, you know?

Um, and I always believe that hard work beats talent every day. So that’s what we’re working with here, man, just hardworking, blue collar kids that wanna come in and, and put the team first and, you know, leave it all on the field. That’s, that’s my philosophy. And if you do that for me, man, we’re gonna get along just fine.

Matt: I like it. I like it a lot. Well, Coach, I appreciate all the insights and the info. I’m gonna leave you with one last question, and that is, if you had, you know, one piece of advice for any guy or girl going through this college recruiting process right now, what would that be? 

Coach: I would say, um, when you’re making your decision, go someplace where if soccer was taken away from you, you would still be happy with that school.

Um, and then I would also add onto that is go someplace you’re gonna play. [00:22:00] You know, I, uh, I went Division I right out of high school. If I could go back in time, I probably would have maybe went to a junior college route, maybe even to a smaller school. Um, I’m not saying Gardner-Webb is huge, but those first two years fighting for playing time, um, you know, once you step on the field, that eligibility’s gone, and you wanna go someplace where you can play immediately, and you can develop, and, um, you can actually be a factor.

‘Cause you don’t wanna go through your four, I guess five years now of eligibility and, and not having, you know, a lot of time on the field to show for it. ‘Cause at the end of the day, you wanna play. So the level doesn’t matter. The, you know, D1, D2, NAIA, JUCO, whatever. Um, if you’re good enough and your, your aspiration is to play pro, you can get there.

Like nowadays, it’s you, you’ll get seen by the right people no matter where you’re playing at, and you’ll get to that, that position. Um, but definitely, you know, go someplace where y- you’re wanted, someplace you’re gonna play. Um, and yeah, be a b- big, big contributor to the program. That’s my best advice for you.

Matt: Yeah. Good stuff. Well, Coach, [00:23:00] really appreciate the time. Wish you the best of luck this fall. And, uh, if you get down to any of the recruiting events down here in Bradenton, give me a shout, all right? 

Coach: Definitely will do. I appreciate it, man. Thank you so much for having me on. 

Matt: Thank you