STARKVILLE — Mississippi State soccer head coach Nick Zimmerman was known for his passion on the sideline as an assistant under the previous head coach, James Armstrong. Since his arrival in 2019, he’s been an advocate for the game, for the team, and for the school, whether it’s helping to bring record crowds to games, pumping his fist in the air after goals and wins, or bringing in recruits from across the country and the globe.
Shortly after he was named head coach, he made an appearance at Humphrey Coliseum, firing up the student section before a big win over Pittsburgh. It’s natural for him, an expression of his own excitement for his players, but above all, it’s an expression of his love for the game.
Zimmerman was a player himself at the collegiate and professional level before getting into coaching, and has been able to make the game he loves a part of his life beyond his own playing days. It’s not something that he takes for granted, and that reflects in his players.
“I wake up every day and I’m very blessed and grateful to be in a position where we can help change and grow the game in a positive way,” Zimmerman said. “I want players to be passionate. My parents were very big into, ‘If you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ I think if you have the passion that we have, you’ll see a group that wants to celebrate each other’s successes, but also go out there and love what they do. I think, at the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for.”
The Bulldogs entered the spring semester with a lot on the agenda. Zimmerman took over a squad that graduated 13 players, including nine starters, from the Southeastern Conference title-winning 2024 season.
Despite the loss of experienced seniors, the Bulldogs have retained the talented players who spent their early years learning from the leaders within the squad. That experience is valuable for a new head coach to have with those players now stepping into leadership roles of their own.
“There’s a belief, and that’s the number one thing, knowing that you can go and compete in the SEC, and win,” Zimmerman said of his team. “But it was also a group that was all different and unique. You didn’t just learn from one, it was a lot of different personalities and different types of players. It allowed the group to figure out who they could go and talk with, and it’s awesome to see the younger group step up.”
What’s old is new
Regardless of the changes, Zimmerman is holding the squad to the same standards that they knew before. Those standards aren’t just about results in the wins and losses, but establishing the work ethic and focus required to play the brand of soccer the Bulldogs have built over the last few years.
“It’s a new group, but I think we know what the expectations are and what we’re capable of here at Mississippi State,” he said. “Knowing that when you put on that jersey, when you wear the Mississippi State crest, it’s more than just a jersey. For us, that’s always been the number one thing: to play with pride, with grit. We’re never gonna get outworked, and I think that’s the bare minimum to be on this team.”
The Bulldogs are a team that values possession, and with that comes an active style of defense that requires pressing and positional awareness from the attackers as much as it does the defenders. Their high-pressing style requires a high team IQ and fitness level. Losing so many experienced players may change certain aspects of the tactical approach, but the current group of players has similar qualities, and most importantly, the technical and tactical understanding of the team’s values.
Simply put, Zimmerman wants his team to hold the ball and dictate the game their way through possession and high-energy defending. It’s an approach the returning players are familiar with, and the newcomers were recruited to fit into. It’s still a process, but with some nice performances under their belt, the team is continuing to evolve after the most successful season in program history, and there is confidence that more is to come from the next group.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride for sure, but it’s been awesome,” Zimmerman said of the spring semester. “I think we started to find our groove and figure out roles. We went undefeated, scored some good goals, but more than anything, we understood what our standards and expectations are for this program from a non-negotiables standpoint, but also the style of what we want to look like on the field as well. We laid the foundation and put ourselves in a good spot as we head into the summer.”
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