James Armstrong, who previously spent time at Auburn as an associate head coach, was named as Auburn’s new head soccer coach on Tuesday, Athletic Director John Cohen announced. This comes after former head coach Karen Hoppa announced her retirement last week.
“We are extremely excited to welcome James and his wife Casey and daughter Olivia back to Auburn, a place he called home for six years prior to his time building Mississippi State into an SEC Championship program,” Cohen said. “He is not only one of the top coaches in our conference, but one of the best nationally. James is an incredibly hard worker who has recruited and developed players at the highest level. We look forward to James competing for championships here on The Plains.”
Armstrong makes the move back to the Plains after spending time as the head coach at Mississippi State from 2019-24. He took the program to unprecedented heights, leading the Bulldogs to the 2024 SEC championship and consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
In six seasons with the Bulldogs, he directed them to a 62-35-18 overall record and a 36-20-11 conference mark, while leading the program to three consecutive NCAA appearances. In the past three years combined, Armstrong’s 43 overall wins were third among SEC schools and his 19 conference wins were the second most in the league.
At Mississippi State, Armstrong coached some of the best in the country as he had 10 players named to the United Soccer Coaches/NCSAA All-Region Team, 14 All-SEC team members, and placed 133 players on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
“I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Mississippi State community for the unwavering support we’ve received during our time in Starkville,’ Armstrong said. “The relationships we've built with the student-athletes, staff, and fans will always hold a special place in our hearts."
During his previous stint on the Plains, Armstrong oversaw some of the most productive offensive seasons in the program's history. He assisted Auburn in making the NCAA Tournament five straight seasons, advancing to the second round four times with a pair of Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite Eight in 2016 – the program’s best postseason finish.
He worked with midfielders and forwards, helping the program score 121 goals from 2014-16 – the most in a three-year stretch at Auburn in a dozen years. During the team's record-breaking 2015 and 2016 seasons – which saw Auburn advance to its first Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in consecutive years – the Tigers amassed 85 goals, which tied for the fourth most in a two-year span in program history. He also helped coach six attacking players to a total of eight first and second-team All-SEC honors and four SEC All-Freshman team honorees. Auburn also had a forward or midfielder named first team All-SEC in four straight seasons.
"My family and I are incredibly excited to return to Auburn University! I am deeply grateful to John Cohen, Jared Benko, Djenane Paul, and the search committee for offering us this amazing opportunity,” Armstrong said. “I look forward to connecting with the student-athletes and beginning this exciting new chapter for Auburn Soccer. War Eagle!”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Logan Fowler is a Senior from Sumiton, Alabama and is majoring in journalism. He joined the Plainsman in Spring 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @loganffowler
