Jake Wyman takes over soccer program

Troy soccer head coach Jake Wyman is newer on the head coaching scene, but the lessons already learned help guide him in ways that are almost unexpected.  

In his Troy soccer locker room, you will find things you’d expect. Training equipment for practice, jerseys neatly hung up in lockers and kids' toys scattered around.  

Yes, kids' toys. 

“He’s around the team, you can see his little buggy right there,” said Coach Wyman, gesturing to his sons' toys on the floor. “He’s amongst [the team], they love him and he loves them.” 

Coach Wyman’s son, Malone, has already become an integral part of Troy soccer, with the soon-to-be four-year-old leaving his mark in the locker room one toy at a time. The locker room isn’t the only thing the younger Wyman has changed for the better.  

“Having a son opens your eyes to a different view of the world,” Wyman said. “You treat everyone different once you have a kid. 

“It changed my recruiting a lot more. I started thinking, ‘Do I want this player, this kid, this family around my son?’ It changes a lot.” 

The coach from Bradenton, Florida, offers a breath of fresh air into the Troy program after guiding Montevallo to consecutive NCAA Division II tournament appearances. In those two appearances, he pushed the program to three wins in the tournament.  

“You can’t just chalk [the success] up to one thing,” Wyman said about his previous stomping grounds. “We started with the people.  

“We started recruiting the right people and the right type of person at Montevallo. We really honed in on standards and maintaining those standards daily.” 

Wyman summed up his recruiting philosophy in a simple quote.  

“We create core values,” Wyman said. “We live that; it wasn’t just words on a wall. 

“Every day we try to get better than we were the day before.” 

It’s been about four months since the official announcement came out that Wyman would be the new coach in the Wiregrass. Every day since then has been a group effort to improve before the upcoming fall season.  

“I think the girls have responded really well to me,” Wyman said. “We have a small group this spring, next fall is going to look a lot different than right now.  

“The first couple months we’ve chipped away at a few things. We’re trying to establish standards here and find our identity and lay that groundwork.” 

Part of Wyman’s success at Montevallo was due to the coaching staff he put around him during his time in the purple and gold. His eye for talent was good enough to capture a Gulf South Tournament Championship and a South Region Staff of the Year award for his assistants, both in 2019.  

In that same 2019 season, he was also named the GSC Coach of the Year. 

“When we’re looking at coaches, we want someone that aligns with us,” Wyman said. “Someone who aligns with our passions, our personalities and someone that is going to care for the players. 

“Obviously someone who can coach and knows the game and is motivated. Someone happy to do all the work required.” 

Wyman has already found that first piece of the puzzle, hiring Johnny Ellis from Division III Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, as an assistant. Ellis helped guide the Blazers to NCAA D-III Tournament appearance in 2025.  

Combined, the two coaches have participated in three NCAA tournaments in the last two years across multiple levels.  

Despite being his first DI head coaching job, Wyman isn’t completely new to the DI ranks. After playing college soccer at Coker College, Wyman moved to an assistant role at DII Lander University.  

From there he jumped up to DI Austin Peay State for three seasons from 2011-14. After that stint, he made the move to Montevallo as an assistant from 2016-18. In 2019, he took the head coaching position for the Eagles.  

After seven seasons in central Alabama, Wyman makes the jump to the cardinal and white. 

“Troy as an institution is a great university,” Wyman said. “There was an opportunity for me to step up a level coaching and in the coaching world. 

Going from a division-II university to a division-I school that is very prominent in the region and the country is a great opportunity for me and my family.” 

Wyman and his new look Trojans take the pitch again in the spring season on the road against West Georgia Apr. 3 before hosting AUM at the Troy Soccer Complex for a spring exhibition on Apr. 10.