AMERICUS, Ga. -- Georgia Southwestern State University Director of Athletics Mike Leeder announced today that Joe Barber has been named head men's soccer coach for the Hurricanes. Barber comes to Georgia Southwestern after serving as the associate head men's soccer coach at Gardner-Webb University for the past two seasons. Barber will begin his duties at GSW on March 3.
"We are really excited that Joe has accepted our offer to be the fourth men's soccer coach in Hurricane history. We identified him very early in the process as someone who could come in and elevate our program to the upper echelon of the Peach Belt Conference, and we can't wait to get him started," Leeder said.
During the 2024 season Gardner-Webb won its first-ever Big South Conference tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championships for the first time in school history. After upsetting Oregon State in the first round, the Bulldogs fell to the University of Denver in the second round and finished the season with a record of 13-4-3.
"I am absolutely thrilled to be heading back to the state of Georgia to lead Georgia Southwestern men's soccer. I will strive daily to bring success to the program by developing student-athletes, competing for Peach Belt Championships, and competing for NCAA tournament appearances. I would like to say thank you to Scott Wells and Dr. Andrew Goodrich at Gardner-Webb for their belief in me and their mentorship during my time in Boiling Springs. And finally thank you to Mike Leeder and Dr. Michelle Johnston for giving me the opportunity to build something special here in Americus," stated Barber.
Prior to his time at Gardner-Webb, Barber served as the head men's soccer coach at NAIA Milligan University during the 2022 season. In his lone campaign at the school, Barber was named the Appalachian Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after leading Milligan to a record of 10-3-7 and advancing to the first round of the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Tournament.
"Joe has demonstrated success as a head coach, and he has a wealth of recruiting experience at various levels in our geographic footprint. That combination made him an ideal candidate for our program," Leeder said.
Barber has also spent time as an assistant at the NCAA Division I level at Georgia Southern University (2018-20) and Temple University (2016-17). He also served as an assistant at on the coaching staffs of Auburn University at Montgomery (2021), Eastern Florida State College (2015) and the University of Mobile (2014).
The Leeds, England, native played collegiately at both Limestone University and Florida Tech, graduating from Florida Tech with a degree in business administration with a minor in sustainability in 2014.
Photos provided by Gardner-Webb University Athletics