SAN FRANCISCO – After two seasons on the Hilltop, head men's soccer coach
Leonard Griffin has resigned. Griffin has accepted the recently vacated position at Grand Canyon, a member of the Western Athletic Conference.
"I'd like to thank Leonard for the incredible job he did in his brief time here at USF," said Director of Athletics
Joan McDermott. "Wins and losses are not the only way to measure the success of a coaching tenure. In his time here, he was instrumental in rebuilding the culture of a program that was in need of change, while also guiding our student-athletes through a tumultuous time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our program is in a much stronger place because of him and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
"My heart is truly split in half. I am excited for this new opportunity at GCU but extremely sad to be leaving the University of San Francisco and the wonderful group of young men who gave me there all both on and off the field and through some very challenging times," said Griffin. "Thank you to all the players for trusting me with your development. A huge thank you to my coaches and support staff for all the sacrifices they've made for me and the program. And last but not least a big thank you to
Joan McDermott and
Frank Allocco for giving me this opportunity and for all their leadership and support that was shown. I truly feel that in a short time I'm leaving the program better than how I found it and I wish USF and the men's soccer program nothing but the best!"
Griffin became the sixth head coach in USF history on April 11, 2019. Since then, he has acted as the embodiment of USF's vision toward competing at the highest level while excelling in the classroom.
In his first season, the Dons were a team in transition, and Griffin guided them to a pair of wins over San Jose State and UNLV. He had three players earn all-conference honors that season, and a further seven players earn All-WCC All-Academic honors.
The following year provided Griffin with a slew of unique challenges. Overturning a roster and reshaping the culture was a must, and to that end he welcomed 18 newcomers, including 14 freshmen, to the Hilltop in 2020. While getting his young team ready to compete, Griffin guided the program through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The traditional fall season was canceled, but he led the Dons to a strong spring campaign that saw the Dons finish in the top-three in the conference standings after being picked to finish last in the WCC.
Six members of the team earned all-conference honors this spring, with freshman
Nonso Adimabua earning WCC Freshman of the Year honors.
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the Dons' excelled in the classroom this year, finishing the fall semester with a team GPA of 3.64. All 25 players finished with a 3.0 or higher.
A search for Griffin's replacement will begin immediately.
