THE ZIMMERMAN FILE

Hometown: Tampa, Florida
College: James Madison University, 2008
X/Twitter: @MSUNZimmerman
Birthday: May 3rd, 1989

COACHING EXPERIENCE

2024-present:
Mississippi State, Head Coach
2022-24:
Mississippi State, Associate Head Coach
2019-2022:
Mississippi State, Assistant Coach
2015-2018:
Columbus State University, Assistant Coach

ZIMMERMAN'S YEAR-BY-YEAR OVERALL RECORD

Year	School	W-L-T	Pct.
2025	Mississippi State	0-0-0	--

School	Years	Record	Pct.
Mississippi State	1	0-0-0	--
Total	1	0-0-0	--

ZIMMERMAN'S YEAR-BY-YEAR CONFERENCE RECORD

Year	School	W-L-T	Pct.
2025	Mississippi State	0-0-0	--

School	Years	Record	Pct.
Mississippi State	1	0-0-0	--
Total	1	0-0-0	--

ZIMMERMAN'S PLAYERS BY THE NUMBERS

6 Professional Contracts at MSU
2 Senior National Team Players at MSU
3 United Soccer Coaches All-Americans
2024 SEC Midfielder of the Year
13 All-SEC Selections
10 Division II All-Americans
2 NCAA Division II Elite 90 Award Winners

MISSISSIPPI STATE HIGHLIGHTS

Winningest assistant coach in program history (62)
2024 SEC Regular Season Championship
2024 NCAA Tournament No. 1 Seed
2024 United Soccer Coaches Southeast Staff of the Year
2023 United Soccer Coaches Southeast Staff of the Year

Nick Zimmerman, one of college soccer’s most dynamic recruiters, was named the seventh head soccer coach in Mississippi State history on Dec. 3, 2024. He had spent the previous three years as the Bulldogs associate head coach and had served on the staff since Jan. 23, 2019.

Over his first six seasons in Starkville, Zimmerman was a driving force in the Bulldogs' climb to national prominence including an undefeated SEC run in 2024 resulting in the regular-season conference championship and a No. 1 national ranking. He is widely regarded as an innovative tactical mind and an elite culture builder and was a part of State’s back-to-back United Soccer Coaches Southeast Staff of the Year awards in 2023 and 2024.

He moved into the head coach’s office as the winningest assistant coach in program history, witnessing 62 State victories, and had been on the sidelines for nearly half of MSU’s ranked wins and SEC wins in program history to that point. Zimmerman has coached in six of the Bulldogs’ 13 ranked wins, including their first victory over a No. 1 team. In 2024, he saw the Bulldogs record their longest winning streak in program history at 14 consecutive matches, including 10 straight SEC victories and a program-record 12 consecutive home victories.

Zimmerman has a rich background in developing talent. While in Starkville, he’s seen six players sign professional contracts, including two in the NWSL. Additionally, two more players received non-roster invitations to NWSL preseason camps in 2025. Zimmerman was instrumental in recruiting and developing national team members Ruthny Mathurin (Haiti) and Ilana Izquierdo (Colombia), who have represented their countries at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Olympic Games, respectively. He’s also helped Bulldogs to a trio of United Soccer Coaches All-American honors and 13 All-SEC selections.

Prior to MSU, he coached 31 Peach Belt All-Conference award winners, 23 DII All-Region winners, 10 DII All-Americans and six DII Scholar All-Americans while at Columbus State. He also tutored two NCAA Division II Elite 90 Award winners and the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year.

From his first day on campus, Zimmerman has been a leader in the Starkville community, relentlessly promoting the program and helping drive record-breaking attendance. Mississippi State set its top five attendance marks during the 2024 season, highlighted by a crowd of 4,022 for the Bulldogs' win over Washington in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

As an assistant, Zimmerman specialized in working with the Bulldogs’ forwards and midfielders, a focus that yielded impressive results. Under his guidance, 14 different Bulldogs scored goals in 2024, and Ally Perry led the SEC in shots with 96. The Bulldogs finished the year with 45 goals, which ranked third in program history, and 42 assists, which ranked fourth. They set a program record with 386 shots and held opponents to a school-record 7.5 shots allowed per game.

In 2023 season, the team finished the season ranked No. 14 by both United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer, marking the program’s first end-of-season ranking in program history, but the program’s evolution truly began to take shape in the 2022 season when his offensive strategies brought the Bulldogs to life. State recorded 282 shots and 123 shots on goal, which both ranked ninth in school history at the time.

Despite the challenges of the 2020 season due to the global pandemic, Zimmerman led the team to a strong finish. Over a 13-game season, the Bulldogs averaged 1.38 goals per game and 12 shots per game. However, the spring segment of the modified season was particularly notable with 11 different players assisting on 11 goals by seven different goal scorers in the four spring matches.

Zimmerman’s first season in Starkville was marked by setting then-program records for goals, assists and points in conference play. The Bulldogs averaged 15.1 shots per game in SEC play, ranking fourth in the league. His technical guidance was evident as nine Bulldogs scored at least once in 2019, including six first-time goal scorers, and 16 players recorded at least one point, the highest since 2008.

Before joining Mississippi State, Zimmerman was pivotal in building a nation-leading offense at the Division II level at Columbus State from 2015-18. The Lady Cougars set a program record of 96 goals in 2016, leading the nation with 4.0 goals per game, and improved to 4.05 goals per game the following year. His tenure at CSU included multiple championships, including the Peach Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships, and a national championship appearance.

In addition to his college coaching experience, Zimmerman has worked with Region II, US Soccer NTC, and ID2 US Club Soccer. He has been on staff at elite camps at the University of Virginia and Florida State University and served as the head coach for the Georgia Girls’ Olympic Development Program (ODP) 2000 Team. He is also a U.S. Soccer Federation coaching course instructor and has been part of the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Ranking and Awards Board. Zimmerman holds a USSF “B” License.

As a player, Zimmerman was a standout at James Madison University, earning All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rookie team recognition, two All-CAA selections, and one All-Region honor. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology and sports management, he was drafted by the New York Red Bulls in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and later selected by the Philadelphia Union in the 2009 MLS Expansion Draft. He played with Carolina Railhawks FC in the NASL, earning NASL Best XI honors in 2012 and finishing second in the Golden Boot race. His professional career concluded with the Wilmington Hammerheads in the USL in 2015.

A Tampa, Florida native, Zimmerman also represented the U.S. U-15 National Team in 2001. He married his wife Massey in the summer of 2025.