Kevin O’Brien is coming back to Starkville but this time to stick around for a little bit longer as the veteran coach has been hired to lead Mississippi State’s women’s soccer program.
For the past 14 seasons, O’Brien served as Lipscomb’s head coach and was named ASUN Coach of the Year five times. During the 2025 season, he led the Bison back to the NCAA Tournament, where they upset Mississippi State in the opening round by a score of 1-0. The win came seven years after O’Brien and Lipscomb pulled off a round-one upset over the Bulldogs in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, a game that was also played in Starkville.
O’Brien’s overall record as a head coach is 155-81-37. He holds a 4-2 mark against Mississippi State.
Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon announced O’Brien’s hiring on Sunday. He replaces Nick Zimmerman, who announced Friday he had accepted the head coaching job at Florida.
“Kevin O’Brien brings a track record of success and a relentless competitive spirit that matches the standards we hold at Mississippi State,” Selmon said. “His vision for our soccer program, combined with his focus on developing student-athletes holistically, positions us for long-term success. We are excited to welcome Kevin and Shannon (O’Brien) to the Mississippi State family and cannot wait to see the future he builds for our program.”
O’Brien has not seen a losing season since his second year at Lipscomb with his teams posting a positive goal differential every season in that timespan. Before his time in Nashville, he served as an assistant men’s with stops at Davidson, Charlotte, Creighton, Oregon State, and Presbyterian College.
O’Brien takes over a Mississippi State program that has had plenty of postseason success in recent years, including back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2023 and 2024.
“I am incredibly honored to join Mississippi State and lead this exceptional group of young women,” O’Brien said. “Over the years, my family and I have felt the passion, pride, and warmth that define the Starkville community and the Bulldog family every time we visited campus.
“I am deeply grateful to Zac Selmon for his belief in me. It is clear that we are fully aligned in our commitment to competitive excellence and to developing our student-athletes not only into the best players they can be but into strong leaders in life. Mississippi State is a special place, and Shannon and I are excited to invest in this program, our student-athletes, and a community that cares so deeply. I cannot wait to get started.”
Before getting into coaching, O’Brien was a team captain and All-South Region honoree for the College of Charleston. He then played eight years professionally in the USL with the Charleston Battery and Charlotte Eagles.