At the end of last season, we created coaching finalists by picking coaches who made it to the Sweet 16. From those 16 coaches, we selected those who won a conference title (regular season or tournament) or who were ranked in the top 10 in RPI. This method was used to account for both a strong playoff run and regular-season success. We then sent a survey out to all Division I coaches, allowing them to vote on the Bob Bradner Coach of the Year for the 2025 season based on that list of coaches.
This final list included:
Doug Allison – Furman
Nick Carlin-Voigt – Portland
Sasho Cirovski – Maryland
Zach Haines – High Point
Kevin Kalish – Saint Louis
George Kiefer – Grand Canyon
Richard Nuttall – Hofstra
Ruben Resendes – Bryant
Brian Wiese – Georgetown
We got responses from coaches in 20 of the Division I conferences, and the winner voted by a ballot of his peers is Doug Allison of Furman, who retired from coaching after taking his team on a historic run to the College Cup Final Four in Cary, NC.
65% of all responses voted Allison as their COTY based on Furman’s on-field results. He was tied for first in effectiveness (32.5%), given the second most votes for his ability to develop players (27.5%), and tied for third in his ability to recruit (12.5%).
All five voting categories with descriptions and results are shown below.
Based on voting, Allison was selected for his ability to get the most juice for the squeeze, winning the Southern Conference double and then taking his squad to the Final Four. Consistent high-level results throughout the course of the season, wrapped up with a fairy tale ending to a legendary coaching career.
The Furman Paladins finished the 2025 season with a 16-2-5 record and were undefeated against ranked opponents during the regular season. Allison also continued to show his recruiting ability with Braden Dunham, who was ranked one of the top freshmen in the country and has been called up to multiple USYNT camps over the last few months. Allison’s illustrious coaching career has included multiple college recruits who have found their way to the USMNT, including Clint Dempsey and Walker Zimmerman.
