Jon Evan joined Sul Ross as the new men's head soccer coach in July 2021.
Evan came to Alpine after five seasons leading the program at Eastern Oklahoma State College.
In 2021, he led the four-year-old SRSU program to the highest win total in program history. Under Evan's leadership, the Lobos also won back-to-back games and put together the first three-game win streak in program history.
Other highlights in his first season in charge include winning the first pre-conference tournament in program history, placing three student athletes on the ASC All-Conference team, and graduating the first four-year student athletes in program history.
In 2019, Evan led Eastern to a .500 season, two years removed from a three-win campaign while continuing to play one of the toughest schedules in the country. With two full recruiting classes on campus the Mountaineers were competitive in every game and made their mark in Region II and beyond.
The 2019 squad, led by sophomore captains Alpha Diallo and Leonardo Schulz, earned Eastern’s first victory over defending conference champion Rose State, a last-second victory.
Sophomore's Dani Huerta and Jose Ruarte led the team in points, assists, and goals. The duo was recognized on the Region II All-Conference team. Notably, off the field, Evan's student-athletes were strong in the classroom as 17 of the 21 players on the roster maintained a GPA above a 3.0, with seven players earning distinction on the NJCAA All Academic team for perfect 4.0 GPA’s.
In his second season in charge of the Mountaineers, Evan, led by sophomore Edgar Torres, the Mountaineers qualified as the third-seed, in a much improved Region II, by earning points with their season on the line in four of their last five games.
Eastern played two teams that reached the NJCAA Division I semifinals and the eventual Division III national champion, Richland. In fact Eastern was one of only two teams to beat Richland on its way to its seventh national championship.
Eastern knocked off Richland, which was ranked No. 1 in the country at the time, in a thrilling 2-1 game at Richland to spark its late-season run to the Region II semifinals.
Additionally, Torres was once again named to the Region II All-Conference team along with freshmen Marc-Antoine Huzen. Sophomore Chris Thorpe was also recognized for his efforts, earning a spot on the Region II All-Tournament team.
Once again, the Mountaineer's earned high marks in the classroom with a team GPA above 3.2, and had multiple team members recognized for academic excellence on the NJCAA All-Academic team.
In his first season at Eastern, Evan led the Mountaineers to a Region II semifinal appearance, placing two players on the Region II All-Conference team.
Prior to Eeastern, Evan spent a year as the associate head coach at Jackson State University. In 2016-17, Evan also served as a staff coach for MS Soccer ODP and the state education staff.
In the spring of 2016, he led his U19 boy's team to the USYF National Championship.
Evan moved to Jackson State following a short stint with Oakland City in the spring of 2016 after spending the 2015 season as the assistant men’s and women’s coach at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Evan also served as a staff coach for TN Soccer ODP and the KY Soccer education staff.
Prior to KWC, he was the head men’s soccer coach at Brescia University. He arrived at Brescia after spending 2013 with the TN Olympic Development program and coaching club soccer in Clarksville, Tenn., in addition to his duties as director of coaching for National Soccer Club.
In the spring of 2012, Evan was named the coaching director for NSC and guided the U18 boys to an undefeated season.
Prior to his experience in Tennessee, Evan was the head men’s soccer coach at UMaine Farmington. In his first season in charge, Evan guided UMF to its best regular-season finish since becoming a D-III member of the NAC.
Under Evan’s leadership in 2011, UMF achieved its highest regular-season win total as a D-III program amassing nine regular season wins and compiling a 6-3 conference record, a program best since joining D-III.
The 2011 team accomplished these feats as the least carded team in the league and earned distinction for fair play.
In the summer of 2011, Evan worked with MPS Portland Phoenix of the Premier Development League.
In the fall of 2010, Evan was an assistant coach with the Rollins College national runner-up team.
Evan also served as assistant coach and goalkeeper trainer for the Laredo Heat of the PDL, and continued to work as goalkeeper/personal trainer for Ryan “Godda” Thompson of Jamaican national team fame. Prior to arriving in Laredo, he spent two seasons at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.
After arriving at MSU in the spring of 2008, Evan tutored two elite goalkeepers during his tenure at MSU. In his inaugural season in 2008, the Mustangs won a Lone Star Conference Championship and achieved a No. 1 national ranking in the final NSCAA regular season poll, as well as an NCAA regional championship behind the efforts of first-team All-Lone Star Conference goalkeeper Sean Carr.
In his second season at MSU, Evan was instrumental in the recruitment of standouts Vcmor Eligwe, Paulo Texeira and Raul Herrera. The three standouts played key roles in a run to the Final Four in 2010. In 2009, Herrera garnered first-team All-American honors after leading NCAA Division II in goals against average (.304) and shutouts (11).
Immediately before arriving at MSU, he served as an assistant coach and goalkeeper trainer for head coach Josh Dunn's Fernandina Beach, Fla., state runner-up team in 2007.
He spent the 2006 season as an assistant coach at Boston University while serving concurrently in the same capacity at Babson College. His BU goalkeepers finished with a school record 0.58 goals against average that season, leading the Terriers to a 10-4-5 record, while his Babson keepers finished with an impressive 0.64 gaa including 13 shutouts.
Evan served as an assistant coach at Jacksonville University from 2003-05. The Dolphins made a vast improvement on the playing field during Evan's tenure, improving from three wins in 2002 to earning a spot in the Atlantic Sun tournament title match in 2005.
At Jacksonville, Evan recruited and mentored Jamaican national team member Akeem Priestly. Priestly earned Atlantic Sun Offensive Player of the Year honors at JU before transferring to the University of Connecticut, where he was a two-time All-Big East selection. Priestley was a top-50 pick of the Kansas City Wizards in the 2009 MLS draft.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Evan played professionally in the USL for the Jacksonville Cyclones and Cocoa Expos. At the collegiate level, he was a goalkeeper on two NCAA Division II Final Four teams at Southern Connecticut State under the guidance of associate head coach John Deely and Ray Reid.
Evan has earned a bachelor's in exercise science from Jacksonville University and a master's in Kinesiology from Midwestern State University. He is a nationally certified personal trainer/ nutrition counselor and also holds coaching licenses with both the NSCAA and USSF.
A native of New England, Evan splits his time between Jacksonville, Fla., and Alpine, Texas, with his wife and two children.
