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GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men’s soccer Head Coach Chris Rich announced the hiring of Jason O’ Keefe as the new Associate Head Coach on Tuesday. 

 

“Jason is an incredible hire for our program,” said Rich. “He is no doubt one of the most elite coaches and recruiters in the entire country. We fully expect him to hit the ground running and start making an immediate impact on our student-athletes and our future recruiting classes. He will have a major role on the field and will lead our recruiting, but truly will be heavily involved in all aspects of the program as our associate head coach. His experience at all areas within the game of soccer will prove to be a major asset for our program. Having a former Division I head coach on staff is very rare, but so is having a great friend and someone I already trust very much. I am excited to work together again and continue to push UNCG soccer to national championship contention!” 

O’Keefe comes to UNCG after taking a break from college coaching, becoming a licensed FIFA agent for the past three years. During this time, he continued to recruit and scout the top youth players and work with a dozen professional players representing them.  O’ Keefe joins the staff with over 20 years of coaching experience in the collegiate ranks.  

“I am humbled and honored to be joining such an amazing university and storied soccer program,” said O’Keefe. “I have admired and respected this program for years. The tradition here is at a championship level and I am excited to get to work.”  

During his head coaching career, O’Keefe was at the helm of the men’s soccer program at Robert Morris from 2020-2022, where he led the Colonials to the post-season with back-to-back Horizon League playoff berths. He was head coach at App State from 2016-2020 and led the program to 24 clean sheets and beat several top 20 programs. In 2019, O’Keefe also had the most wins (11), which was the most wins since 2002, eight shutouts, which was the most since 2011, a win over North Carolina for the first time since 1980 and the first time posting back-to-back winning seasons since 2011-12. O’Keefe also mentored eight All Sun Belt award winners, including the Co-Player of the Year, in 2018 Jake Chasteen and Defensive Player of the Year Zeiko Harris in 2019. 


Prior to his stint as head coach at Appalachian State, O’Keefe spent two years as an assistant coach at North Carolina with Head Coach Chris Rich. During his two years in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels made the NCAA Tournament twice, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2014.  

 

Between 2010 and 2013, O’Keefe served as an assistant coach at Saint Louis University, where he helped the Billikens claim a pair of Atlantic 10 championships and a berth in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.  O’Keefe was named the United Soccer Coaches Mid-Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2012. 

 

Prior to joining the coaching staff at Saint Louis, O’Keefe served three seasons at Elon from 2007 to 2009. He was an assistant coach for two years before being promoted to associate head coach for his final year with the Phoenix. In 2008, Elon claimed its first Southern Conference Regular Season Championship in program history. 

 

During his three seasons with the Phoenix, O’Keefe recruited and coached four student-athletes that went on to earn SoCon major awards, including Chris Thomas, who was selected as the 2009 SoCon Freshman of the Year as well as the SoConPlayer of the Year in both 2010 and 2012. 

 

O’Keefe has also had coaching stops at Greensboro College (2000-02), Wake Forest (2003-05) and Cincinnati (2006). In his lone season with the Bearcats, he helped Cincinnati post its first Big East Championship in program history and berth in the NCAA Tournament. 

 

 

O’Keefe began his coaching career at Greensboro College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1997. In his three seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, the Pride claimed two Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season titles and three tournament crowns. 

 

While a student-athlete on the men’s soccer team at Greensboro College, O’Keefe helped the Pride earn a share of the 1994 Dixie Conference title, as well as the South Region Championship in the 1996 NCAA Division III Tournament.