- The University of Florida has fired head soccer coach Samantha Bohon after three seasons.
- Bohon’s tenure ended with an overall record of 18-34-2, following a 6-7-5 campaign this season.
- This marks the third head coaching change for the Gators’ soccer program in the last five years.
- Athletic Director Scott Stricklin stated the change was necessary to guide the program back to championship form.
Florida soccer is heading in a new direction for the third time in five years.
The Gators fired head coach Samantha Bohon on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 12, after her fourth season on the job.
“After reviewing the direction of our soccer program, we determined that a change in leadership is necessary,” Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said in a release. “We appreciate Sam’s commitment and wish her and her family well. Our priority now is identifying the right person to guide Gator soccer back to championship form.”
Bohon, a Fort Lauderdale native, is a Duke alum and a member of the U.S. Women’s National team in 1998 and 1999. Stricklin hired Bohon in 2022 after a 15 year stint at Embry-Riddle. She led the Eagles to conference titles and a transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II.
At Florida, she took over a program left in ruins by Tony Amato. Amato replaced the legendary Becky Burleigh and went 4-12-3 in 2021. He was fired in April 2022 after WUFT released a story detailing players’ complaints of Amato and how he handled their fitness, eating, weight and body image.
The Gators struggled mightily in 2022 with a 2-14-2 record. Bohon improved to 6-5-6 in 2023. Injuries regressed the team to a 4-8-3 record in 2024, but the coach gained her first ranked win over then-No. 22 Texas.
This season, UF seemed to be showing genuine signs of progress, especially in SEC play. It defeated No. 12 Mississippi State for its highest-ranked win in six years, and drew with No. 15 South Carolina, No. 17 Georgia and No. 4 Tennessee.
However, the Gators fell to Kentucky in the first round of the SEC Tournament and ended the campaign with a 6-7-5 record. She ends her UF tenure with an 18-34-18 mark, including 5-23-12 in SEC play.
Burleigh, the program’s first head coach, led the squad to soaring heights in the late 1990s by winning the 1998 national championship in just the program’s fourth year – led by Abby Wambach.
However, even Burleigh struggled in her final few years at the helm. Florida last made the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and last won a tournament game in 2017.
The Gators coaching search will begin immediately. Counting football, which is also ongoing, Stricklin will pick his 12th coach since becoming AD in 2015.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @ramreporter. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
