Mississippi State hires Kevin O’Brien from Lipscomb as new head coach

STARKVILLE, MS – Five-time ASUN Coach of the Year Kevin O’Brien has been hired as Mississippi State’s eighth head soccer coach in program history, Director of Athletics Zac Selmon announced. O’Brien comes to Starkville from Lipscomb where he guided the Bisons to 12 combined ASUN Regular Season and Tournament championships.

The veteran coach spent 14 years as the head coach of the Bisons while becoming the winningest coach in Lipscomb’s program history with a career record of 155-81-37. This fall, he matched his highest single-season win total with 15 victories before Lipscomb lost a tightly-contested, one-goal match to eventual national finalist No. 6 Florida State.

Over the last 12 consecutive seasons, O’Brien’s Bisons have finished every season with a winning record and a positive goal differential. His teams have posted goal differentials of at least plus-20 in five of the last six years with only the shortened 2020-21 season as the exception, and the 2024 squad posted a school-record plus-32 differential.

“Kevin O’Brien brings a track record of success and a relentless competitive spirit that matches the standards we hold at Mississippi State,” Selmon said. “His vision for our soccer program, combined with his focus on developing student-athletes holistically, positions us for long-term success. We are excited to welcome Kevin and Shannon to the Mississippi State family and cannot wait to see the future he builds for our program.”

O’Brien is no stranger to Starkville. In the five NCAA Tournament berths his teams earned, they twice advanced to the second round with victories against the Bulldogs on the MSU campus.

His players have amassed an impressive collection of ASUN honors over the last decade-plus including five Player of the Year and five Goalkeeper of the Year awards as well as four Freshman of the Year honors. Sixty-eight Bisons have been named to all-conference teams, including 39 first team selections and 16 all-freshman team recognitions. Additionally, the program has seen players earn United Soccer Coaches All-American status in each of the last two season.

“I am incredibly honored to join Mississippi State and lead this exceptional group of young women,” O’Brien said. “Over the years, my family and I have felt the passion, pride and warmth that define the Starkville community and the Bulldog family every time we visited campus. I am deeply grateful to Zac Selmon for his belief in me. It is clear that we are fully aligned in our commitment to competitive excellence and to developing our student-athletes not only into the best players they can be but into strong leaders in life. Mississippi State is a special place, and Shannon and I are excited to invest in this program, our student-athletes and a community that cares so deeply. I cannot wait to get started.”

In addition to the program’s on-field success, O’Brien instilled academic excellence among his players. The Bisons have collected 37 academic all-conference honors in his tenure and earned six ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. Additionally, Olivia Doak was named the conference’s Student-Athlete of the Year across all sports for the 2019-20 academic year.

Before his arrival in Nashville, O’Brien’s career had been spent exclusively on men’s soccer staffs. He spent three years at Davidson as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. He was on staff when the Wildcats upset eventual 2011 national champion North Carolina, handing the Tar Heels their only regulation loss of the year. He bore witness to three additional ranked wins and saw the Wildcats sign three top-150 recruits in his tenure.

He played a key role on staff at Charlotte for six seasons from 2002-08 while the 49ers went 33-18-8. O’Brien was the recruiting coordinator on those staffs under four-time national championship coach Jeremy Gunn, who is now leading the Stanford program. O’Brien helped build the 49ers roster that would later reach the Men’s College Cup in 2011 while he was at Davidson. His coaching career began at Presbyterian College and saw him make stops at Creighton and Oregon State as well.

As a player, O’Brien captained the College of Charleston, leading the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances, an Elite Eight run and multiple top-20 national rankings. A two-time All-Conference and All-South Region honoree, he still holds the ASUN men’s soccer record for most career games played (85).

He enjoyed an eight-year professional career in the USL with the Charleston Battery and Charlotte Eagles. He captained the Eagles for both the 2003 and 2004 campaigns.

O’Brien holds a USSF “A” License and the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma. He spent seven years coaching in the North Carolina Olympic Development Program (ODP) and won the 2006 ODP Boy’s National Championship before again reaching the finals in 2007.

O’Brien will be joined by his wife, Shannon, who competed collegiately on the Arizona women’s soccer team. The couple has a daughter, Keely, and a son, Keegan. Keely recently completed her freshman season on the Bisons roster under her father’s leadership.