Florida Gators hire Nick Zimmerman as soccer coach after one year leading Mississippi State

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Image Credit: Leslie White / UAA

Just days after failing to complete the hiring of a head football coach from Mississippi, the Florida Gators did exactly that with Nick Zimmerman. The former Mississippi State head soccer coach has agreed to move into the same role at Florida, returning to his native Sunshine State.

“Nick is a proven builder of winning programs,” said athletic director Scott Stricklin of Zimmerman, 38, who has one year of head coaching experience. “His results are not accidental — he recruits at a high level, develops talent, and instills a standard that produces sustained success. He’s equally committed to developing young women as competitors and leaders, and that commitment shows up in how his teams train, compete, and grow over time.

“Florida soccer expects to compete for championships and Nick embraces that expectation. His vision, discipline and competitive DNA make him the right leader for this moment in our program. We’re excited to welcome Nick and Massey to the Gator family and get to work.”

Zimmerman is indeed coming off his first season as a head coach at any level. He led the Bulldogs to a 12-7-1 (5-4-1 SEC) mark and birth in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. MSU beat three top 10 teams last season, including then-No. 1 Tennessee.

A former player at James Madison, Zimmerman played professional soccer across the United States for seven seasons before becoming an assistant coach at Columbus State. He was hired by MSU in 2019, serving six years as an assistant before taking over the program.

“Florida is a place where championships are possible, and I’m excited for the opportunity to help lead this program back to the NCAA Tournament,” he said. This is a dream position for me. The University of Florida offers everything that resonates with top recruits — an elite athletic department, world-class facilities and support along with a top 10 academic experience.”

“We’re going to establish a clear vision and an attack-minded identity from day one, and we’ll train it with purpose every single day. There is tremendous potential within this Gators roster, and I can’t wait to get to Gainesville, meet the team, and begin building toward the goals we’ll set together. Go Gators!”

Zimmerman is the third hire Stricklin has made for women’s soccer. The first, Tony Amato, had 12 years head coaching experience at the Division I level. However, the Gators went 4-12-4 in his lone season, and he was ultimately fired over accusations of creating a toxic environment filled with verbal abuse.

Stricklin replaced him with Samantha Bohon, who had only coached Embry-Riddle in Division II. She was fired after leading Florida to a 18-34-18 record across four seasons.

The Gators’ once-great soccer program under its first head coach, Becky Burleigh, has been a national punchline since Stricklin took over the athletic department, going from being a perennial SEC champion and NCAA Tournament participant — occasionally a national championship contender — to a team that struggles to break .500 each season.

Stricklin has struggled hiring coaches across multiple Florida athletic programs with men’s basketball coach Todd Golden proving to be his only successful acquisition in his 10 years at the helm.

Zimmerman has flashed potential, but he will be the least-experienced coach – by a significant margin – that has ever led Gators soccer. Considering the prominence of the Florida athletic program and quality of the job, it’s curious that a bigger swing was not taken.

This move may only pile onto an ongoing concern shared by many who support Gators soccer over whether Florida remains committed to fielding a successful team. Then again, perhaps he will have a meteoric rise similar to Golden and Burleigh.

Stricklin is an alumnus of Mississippi State, serving as its AD from 2010-16 after spending 12 years as a lower-level administrator.