Zimmerman Hires C-USA Coach Of The Year Garbar
January 23, 2025 | Soccer
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State first-year head coach Nick Zimmerman has made a splash with the first assistant coach hire for his staff. Jonathan Garbar, the reigning Conference USA Coach of the Year, will join the Bulldogs in Starkville as an assistant coach.
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Garbar recently orchestrated one of the most-impressive program turnarounds in recent memory, taking a 2-15 FIU team when he arrived to a 13-5-2 record and C-USA Regular Season and Tournament Championships in 2024. In addition, he has served as an assistant coach with the Puerto Rican Women's National Team and earned national coach of the year honors at the junior college level after guiding Monroe College to the 2014 NJCAA National Championship.
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"We couldn't be more excited to welcome Jonathan to the Mississippi State family," Zimmerman said. "He is a proven winner with an incredible passion for player development. His background in teaching makes him the perfect fit to continue our history of developing these young players, both on and off the field."
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The last two seasons have shown the impact of Garbar's player development at FIU. In 2023, the Panthers won as many matches as they had in the prior three years combined and the most by the program since 2013. Over the last two years, FIU has outscored opponents 79-37, totaling top-10 goal totals in each year and holding opponents to the lowest scoring outputs of its C-USA tenure. Along the way, FIU posted the largest RPI improvement in the nation between the 2021 and 2024 campaigns. He returned the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 for the first time in 13 years.
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"I'm privileged to join Nick Zimmerman and his impressive staff at one of the nation's premier institutions, Mississippi State University," Garbar said. "The level of growth and development that Nick and his program have earned is both familiar and inspirational. Having the opportunity to work and fight alongside a dynamic leader whose vision and ambitions align with your own is rare and something I am deeply grateful for. It is an honor to become a part of the Bulldog journey."
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FIU was Garbar's third head coaching post. Previously, he led the program at Division II Franklin Pierce. While there he posted a 34-15-6 record while winning a conference title and leading the team to the NCAA Division II Tournament. In 2018, he was named the Northeast 10 Coach of the Year and posting a 16-2-2 record and climbing as high as No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. At Franklin Pierce, Garbar saw seven athletes receive all-conference nods, five earn all-region selection and three be named All-Americans.
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His first collegiate coaching job was as the head coach at Monroe College from 2012-2016. He took over in the program's first year after elevating to the Division I level of the NJCAA and promptly rattled off a 72-7-4 record. His team's 2014 national title earned him National Coach of the Year honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. While at Monroe, Garbar saw 31 players promoted from the NJCAA ranks to the NCAA, which was more than any other junior college in the country. Five of his former student athletes went on to play at schools in the Power Five. Internationally, his athletes represented England, Spain, Brazil and Croatia on national teams.
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Garbar has deep recruiting ties to Central and South America and is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese. He previously served as an assistant coach with the Puerto Rican Women's National Team. His duties with the national squad included overseeing northeast identification and recruitment. While at Monroe College, he served as the institution's Director for South American Recruitment from 2013-2015, and prior to that Garbar worked from 2010-2012 creating a program specifically targeted towards bringing international students to Monroe College.
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For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
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Garbar recently orchestrated one of the most-impressive program turnarounds in recent memory, taking a 2-15 FIU team when he arrived to a 13-5-2 record and C-USA Regular Season and Tournament Championships in 2024. In addition, he has served as an assistant coach with the Puerto Rican Women's National Team and earned national coach of the year honors at the junior college level after guiding Monroe College to the 2014 NJCAA National Championship.
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"We couldn't be more excited to welcome Jonathan to the Mississippi State family," Zimmerman said. "He is a proven winner with an incredible passion for player development. His background in teaching makes him the perfect fit to continue our history of developing these young players, both on and off the field."
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The last two seasons have shown the impact of Garbar's player development at FIU. In 2023, the Panthers won as many matches as they had in the prior three years combined and the most by the program since 2013. Over the last two years, FIU has outscored opponents 79-37, totaling top-10 goal totals in each year and holding opponents to the lowest scoring outputs of its C-USA tenure. Along the way, FIU posted the largest RPI improvement in the nation between the 2021 and 2024 campaigns. He returned the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 for the first time in 13 years.
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"I'm privileged to join Nick Zimmerman and his impressive staff at one of the nation's premier institutions, Mississippi State University," Garbar said. "The level of growth and development that Nick and his program have earned is both familiar and inspirational. Having the opportunity to work and fight alongside a dynamic leader whose vision and ambitions align with your own is rare and something I am deeply grateful for. It is an honor to become a part of the Bulldog journey."
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FIU was Garbar's third head coaching post. Previously, he led the program at Division II Franklin Pierce. While there he posted a 34-15-6 record while winning a conference title and leading the team to the NCAA Division II Tournament. In 2018, he was named the Northeast 10 Coach of the Year and posting a 16-2-2 record and climbing as high as No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. At Franklin Pierce, Garbar saw seven athletes receive all-conference nods, five earn all-region selection and three be named All-Americans.
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His first collegiate coaching job was as the head coach at Monroe College from 2012-2016. He took over in the program's first year after elevating to the Division I level of the NJCAA and promptly rattled off a 72-7-4 record. His team's 2014 national title earned him National Coach of the Year honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. While at Monroe, Garbar saw 31 players promoted from the NJCAA ranks to the NCAA, which was more than any other junior college in the country. Five of his former student athletes went on to play at schools in the Power Five. Internationally, his athletes represented England, Spain, Brazil and Croatia on national teams.
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Garbar has deep recruiting ties to Central and South America and is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese. He previously served as an assistant coach with the Puerto Rican Women's National Team. His duties with the national squad included overseeing northeast identification and recruitment. While at Monroe College, he served as the institution's Director for South American Recruitment from 2013-2015, and prior to that Garbar worked from 2010-2012 creating a program specifically targeted towards bringing international students to Monroe College.
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For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
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