Red Clay College Report: GCSU Head WSOC Coach Jack Marchant on 2026

0:00Jack Marchin you're allowed to hydrate sir. Are you hydrating always always mainly with coffee in the morning? There you always hydrate right there with your brother, but I'm not a coffee guy, but this is my mountain-do in the morning, so How are you my friend? Doon alright doing alright. It's obviously been a tough week here at Georgia College, but Starting to look forward Get the wheels in motion again And I know everybody's looking to looking forward to returning to the field on Saturday for our next game and For those that do not know obviously it has been a tough It's been a tough little while for the GCSU family for the South family and When you have sisters on a team that you know that mean as much to who a their own immediate family and then the GCSU family Sadly, Izzy loses her battle and It's been obviously weighing on a lot of folks. How is everybody? How is everybody? I guess is my first question

1:02You know the South family is incredibly strong It has been like you said a tough a tough time for everybody And you know the news here on on Sunday that we unfortunately lost Izzy we were actually on the road Heading down to Val Dosta and when we turned around and came back, but everyone has been Absolutely amazing The girls have handled it so well And again, obviously our thoughts are all with with Mandy Chris and Savannah But we know what Izzy would want who is who was the most Confident up be positive person. I think I've ever met Even with all the adversity she faced in her life. She she still always had a smile on her face And you know she would want us to continue and be as successful as we possibly can be And you know, I think a really a really positive thing is knowing that she's always going to be with us And she's going to be you know even more motivation for us as we move through the season

2:07Do you remember the first time you met her? Yes, I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I met her Obviously we we'd recruited Savannah here prior to Izzy and chatting with Chris on the visit obviously we knew a busy anyway And I know that part of her lifelong goals was to play in college with her sister and it was a no-brainer from us And I remember bringing Izzy on her visit and then when she she returned to us about a month later She basically told me this is where I'm going to play I wasn't want to argue with Izzy But again even then you know she kind of chatted about her the hell stuff and you know We were always there for her and whatever she needed and and to be able to come in and and be with us last year Beyond the team Again step on the field and make a collegiate debut with a sister was an amazing thing And even throughout the spring and you know as we ended into this fall

3:09She was in Millageville Although enrolled at GMC just because it made life a little bit easier for a class load-wise. She was still with us and you know I don't really I'm not very much a religious person But I do believe in something and you kind of have to when you look back at last Thursday And Izzy's with us at the game. She's on the sideline and Sav scores her first collegiate goal after 39 seconds It makes it hard to believe that there isn't something out there pushing us in the right direction So you know that that's that's a memory that will stick with with me and with the whole program For the rest of our lives And you know she spent the weekend with her family surrounded by everybody And Sav was with her you know at the end which is Which is all you could ever want really has been surrounded by your loved ones But her positivity will will rain forever And again like I said we'll just constantly use it as motivation not that we need anymore

4:10But knowing that she's with us and supporting us all the way and there is a go fund me out there And we'll spread the details of the go fund me later on in the show Now to the the season stuff and the the on the field stuff We all know how tough the peach belt is you know you and I when conversations and things like that But for someone who doesn't know about peach belt division to what GCSU has to deal with on a on a match by match basis How would you break down for someone who hasn't seen it how tough the conference is? There's no easy games. I think that's that's the biggest thing that we can talk about and From from my standpoint and I'd like to think I speak to quite a lot of the full a lot of the coach in the conferences That's what we enjoy you know There is no games that you walk up and go you know we're gonna walk out of this winning 4 5 0 Every game is a challenge everybody's different And that brings honestly the most enjoyment out of it because you know when you do get success in this conference

5:10It's certainly well-earned and well-respected by everybody else And and the level has just got better and better. I'm now entering year five There was quite a few coaching changes a couple years ago, but now you know no new coaches in the league this year Which means everyone's starting to establish their programs which obviously makes it a little bit more difficult But honestly like I said more enjoyable because you kind of have to watch everybody really closely to see To see who's performing well and what we need to do But you know ultimately a lot of goals for their programs in this in this league is to is to compete at the national level And this league sets us up to do that perfectly And we're hoping this year that this is the breakthrough year for us that we can get into that conversation And when we do get there, you know, we're gonna be prepared for whatever challenges other teams throw it as because this league is so competitive So coming from last year into this year the question that I kind of like to ask coaches as seasons have started

6:13The lessons that you pull from 25 that you bring with you into 26 were what? You know a big thing for us is if I look over the past two seasons previous two seasons Here where we've we've finished back to back fourth place, you know that first year We had 16 seniors on the team and the conversations were very much with the older ones You know make this the best season that we can make it and with the younger ones not to panic because we knew we had talent coming in in 2025 and in in 2025 I think you know the more we've talked about that season the more proud we are because Although there was a few returners not many have had experience on the field so last year a ton of them got Loads of experience on the field and finishing fourth again So now as we enter this year it was Use that experience that you've got to to fuel what we need to do and break it down kind of game by game As well as adding a very talented 10 players to the group that we already had

7:14So that that's kind of been the the conversation of let's not forget what got us here and then how do we then take that to the next level? And you're doing this for the most part There there are some folks that do not know what did not know going in about the 404 the 478 the 229 to the 912 area codes There were a couple of folks that were brought in that I do want to separate from the pack here. Yeah, but you're doing it Looking at all of the The high school talent from the state of Georgia you're recruiting inside State line you've set up the wall at GCSU. It's like okay. The wall is here. I'm recruiting 90% of my folks from the state of Georgia That obviously with your experience, you know, that's got to be one of those things. It's like yep I'm good. I mean is it that simple? It's like yeah, I'm good I know what the state of Georgia can bring and I know that I can bring them here to GC issue I mean when we first got here

8:14I remember my first recruit and visit Natalie and Who actually graduated from here last year was in three issues valid Victorian sat in my office and said I've always wanted to come here. What do I need to do and I thought this recruiting? Malaki's quite easy But it made me quite aware that you know We weren't quite as present as we probably needed to be in in the state of Georgia And I think you know as we've grown I remember bringing in my Graduate assistant two years ago who's from Florida and I remember sitting down with her going like we need to recruit more out a state because they add You know different culture different types of soccer to you roster But then when we looked at it, you know when you've got five ECL teams and three GA teams in Metro Atlanta The amount of talented soccer players that are in Georgia There's no need to to kind of go looking elsewhere and dig deep because it's right on our doorstep And you know, I remember we had the similar mentality at Georgia state when I was there is we need to be knowing Every soccer player in the state of Georgia and doing our utmost to make sure that they don't cross state lines

9:16And leave the state and also make sure that they don't go to our rivals rivals in state and you know Been here now for like I said five years, but in the Metro Atlanta area for eight years building those relationships with those club coaches Has been massive for what what we've wanted to do and you know a big point of pride for us is that in my For and a bit years here. We haven't had anybody on the transfer portal wanting to leave So you know, that's kind of a big part of our philosophy here is yes We want to be successful on the field and and compete for championships and do that But we also want to graduate people from here because we know what a fantastic institution that is so you know even with that being said A lot of people know of Georgia College know of millageville But even then when they come down and see as they're a bit surprised at what we have to offer in terms of you know the aesthetics of the school How academically driven the school is Um, I think people are still a bit taken aback by how How it is here and and that's always they've been a massive help for us as well and we're in a position now

10:22For a lot of people unfortunately, we're having to turn people away, which is a really tough decision to make um But at the same time, you know, we're knocking on the door of some really good talent here in Georgia And we've got to make sure that we continue to do that and we don't rest because again, we are competing with Jay at Columbus and Kayleigh at North Georgia who are all going after the same people Um, and we just want to make sure our hats in the ring with those people because on the field I feel like we're closing the gap and it's our job to keep doing that because we you know as a part of Our coverage of the high school game You look at your roster and it's some it's some heavyweight pedigrees It's the West Forsyth and you're catching up with Jason up there and uh, you know It's the Akone County schools and we know what you know coach Hambi it brings to the table Whether it's a Kone County or North or uh north guanette and so you're able to right now go into all of these heavyweights That are that have massive pedigrees inside the ghsa and fight with you and g and j and everybody and and bring everybody there

11:23I mean Do I want to know what these recruiting battles are like among the three of you here in the state of Georgia It's enjoyable, you know, it's enjoyable, but you know, I think we're all Extremely professional and everything that we do and you know our job here is just is to talk about Georgia College and and what we have to offer And and provide these kids with as much information as we can on us and and leave the decision up to them And I think that's what makes you know the the peach bell Again, it's how much we respect each other professionally and respect each other's programs But you know a big thing for that is You know high school is important because you know That's normally the last soccer or sort of structured soccer they have before they come to college So you know as well as taking getting kids from these really established ecl l ecl RL programs and g8 programs, you know We're now getting kids from established high school programs who come in with the the winning mentality of you know They're looking at making final fours at whatever level high school they're at and that's what we're trying to build here

12:25Is that winning mentality And that comes from club high school and hopefully feeds into into what we're trying to achieve here So then when you have internationals and on your roster you have two fins And I mean that not looking at a fish and what they use to navigate in the water But you have two players who have come over from Finland When when you are recruiting internationally How does that go is it is it what's app is it tape is it somebody tapping you in the shoulder and an email How does international recruiting go in these cases? So to be honest, it's a bit like any recruitment It's it's connections and and we were very lucky with with yeni and kaiser You know the the company that we used My assistant Joanne who's actually a full-time professor here She coached the avarant in Virginia And suvi who is our finished connection She played there And again she kind of had the the mindset of her education was the priority

13:29And and and Joe would tell you that she could have played any level that she wanted to over here But she decided to go division three because she really wanted to focus on our academics So having that connection and having her understand because again both yeni and kaiser were talking to you know Mid-major division one schools And they ended up coming here was was based on the relationship that we have with suvi and that the Joe has with suvi But it is a lot of film Ultimately, you know in an ideal world. I'd love to get out of Finland a lot more But yeah, it's a lot of film and and making sure that you know physically they can adapt to to this game And I think you know yeni now in year two is is hit the ground running I think she knows what to expect a little bit more this game is the college game is certainly a lot different in central midfield than it is In most european countries where you know as as they adopt normal soccer rules where players are playing 78 minutes and then getting subbed off whereas in the college game, you know There's line changes kind of every 15 minutes and you've got to deal with the relentless pace

14:33And kaiser as a center back the game doesn't really change for center backs if it if it moves kick it If it doesn't move kick until it does move and that's the way that kaiser kind of approaches her game But she's she's brilliant. I'm in freshman of the year in the conference first team all conference and You know another thing that we look at big picture wise is their season in Finland is over the summer So they went home this summer Both playing in the in the second division in Finland and have come back, you know in fantastic shape and hit the ground running Um, and you know, I think the most pleasing thing for me was although it was a few years ago I was in their shoes once upon a time as well And the focus of that having them Not just adapt to the soccer here, but the lifestyle Um, and I think my most and most enjoyable thing watching them is how much they enjoy it here And they're really embracing the experience of what college soccer can give you um, and and they're just going from strength to strength Because Helsinki is not

15:35Where you are it is not millageville How do you address culture shock because I would imagine, you know, it's like there unless there's something I don't know uh, is there a pj that you have that can get leave from the middle of middle of the bill I'll port to go to Helsinki to Is there is there a private jet jack? I mean is not quite no not quite but thankfully, you know being where we are in the state of Georgia You know, it's an hour and a half to the international terminal And we've got a fantastic group here. We all look after each other and and get them But I remember chatting them chatting with them, you know in June of last year And they said, well, it's hot, you know, it's 68 degrees here in Helsinki Well, I'd add another 30 degrees to that one because that's what it is here You know, I think that was the biggest adjustment for them um But lifestyle wise, you know It's why I enjoy millageville so much, you know, this place is extremely walkable, you know, campus We're right across the street from downtown, you know Everything's extremely walkable here. They're walking to and from class from their apartment now

16:39I think that all helps with the adjustment to it all Not having to constantly rely on people for for this that and the other. They're both very independent Um, I think yeah, weather was probably the biggest thing and There are immune systems getting used to being, you know, 100 degrees outside and 60 degrees in classrooms Constant body temperature. I think yeni was a as a frequent flyer member at CVS. I think dedication, but now you know now that I feel like that They're fully adjusted. They're fully immersed and they're embracing everything that gets thrown at them again Going back to the beginning. They were extremely close with the source family You know, they were at there for thanksgiving last year and and spent time with them before So they've had to handle that as well But you know, they've got a support system of of 26 people built in in and around them and everyone's been fantastic So you know, we are looking forward to getting back out on the field tonight and getting ready to roll again and you know, you're in a schedule that

17:39You know, and I think that this is fairly common inside of college soccer where you're all seeming to be the poster children for schedule compression It is it is three matches in a week. It is fairly consistent in that because it is a sprint to get through the regular season And then you've got your conference and then you know your postseason from there How difficult is it to navigate all of these matches in a very short period of time and all the compression everything What's that like for you and the staff to navigate? Yeah, but it's tough and I think you know The southeast region as a whole is is a powerhouse and and something that we really enjoy being in Obviously, we're all quite closely connected as coaches But it's you know, we joked about with the girls especially the young ones, you know We say on day one of preseason You're at 100% and now our job as we roll through the season is you're never going to be there again But we want to try keep you as close to 100% as possible So the biggest thing is you know managing the girls bodies first and foremost and making sure we're in the best place We can physically be to compete every week

18:43You know the division to schedule is is is massive in terms of you know We play Wednesday Saturday for the most part so they do get Sunday off It's a chance for everybody to reset and regroup And then your Wednesday night game is obviously under the lights and where we're we're very fortunate um In terms of peach belt soccer that Geographically we're pretty much bang in the middle of the conference So you know our travel if you look at the lights of of land or attract traveling four and a half five hours to Columbus and And Georgia south-western whereas you know our kind of longest trip obviously flagler being a bit of an outlier Um is you know two forty five up to DeLoniger So that helps a lot with our with our scheduling Um and then when it comes to the non-conference, you know my goal here is We want to be competing at the top end of the region so we need to be playing those teams So I think if you look at our schedule, I think everybody that we're playing in in their own region or in our region is in kind of the top 15 And we're just very fortunate that that that amount of quality soccer is is in and around us here

19:45Um, but you know, it's just taken them down one hurdle at a time And you know, that's what I've really enjoyed about Division two is that every game matters because it's all regional rankings and and and where you fall come the end of the season You're not just your conference schedule. So we've learned you know In the past two years finishing four We haven't lost to anybody who finished below us Um in the conference and that's part the reason why we finished fourth But we haven't beaten anybody above us. So you know, we want to we need to kind of remedy that But then in the past, you know, we feel like our our weaknesses Um have really lied in the first four or five games because we're still trying to kind of figure out Who our strongest team is and who our rotations are and it's kind of taken as a long time to get going What that's why kind of last Thursday Was an ideal start, you know, it was I found out yesterday It was the most goals we scored in a home opener against a north greenville team who I think are going to be very very good You know, it's just one of those days. I spoke to The Stephen there coach after the game. It was his first first game there and in women soccer and he came over from the men

20:49And you know at half time it could have been two two It could have very easily been two two and then it would have been a really different second half But we came out and kind of you know blew them out the water in the first kind of 15 minutes Which obviously set us up to have a really successful day But now it's important that that we build on that and don't let kind of the hard work that we put in in the kind of three weeks building up to that um Go to waste, you know kind of our mentality is we've tried to attack this season is I think you're naive not to look at other teams and what make them successful Um, but you also want to kind of do it your own way and learning again Eight-old adage age-old adage in soccer is defense win-game championships And I think if you look at you know the likes of land a last year they That's what they did they were just extremely difficult to be and they were extremely successful at what they did Um, and that's kind of our mentality as we've moved into this season is yeah We want to be entertaining. We want to score lots of goals But I constantly want a zero next to the opposition's name on the scoreboard come the end of the day

21:50Because histories told me if that happens you rarely lose those games Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, you mean math brother absolutely yeah And the big thing as well is I've kind of jokingly after obviously after a fantastic summer of of soccer here in in the US Is not to pull a Thomas Tuckle when we're winning one nil against somebody and part the bus So try be as as positive as possible But never forget the message of what we want to try and do absolutely Getting back to it today And then obviously you've got Lincoln Memorial in the weekend and in a week from today another home match with Montevallo It's always great to see you my friend I know that to this particular time around it was a mixed bag of what we had to get into but Thank you for your candor and obviously you're honesty in a very difficult situation there But obviously know that we're thinking about you all the time and it's great to see you my friend do not be a stranger Thank you, John great to see you speak