Kyle Hughes is in his first season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the Presbyterian Blue Hose men’s soccer program. Hughes’s eight-year college coaching career has included stops at Mars Hill and Spartanburg Methodist and most recently this past season as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb.
“I am pleased to welcome Kyle Hughes to our program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator,” Presbyterian Head Coach Nick Finotti said. “Kyle and I have known each other for 20 years, and I have long admired his professional path, tireless work ethic, and broad experience. Our values and vision align perfectly, and Kyle will prove to be a valuable member of the athletic department and our coaching staff, as well as an instrumental teacher and mentor for our players.”
In his one season at Gardner-Webb, the Runnin’ Bulldogs finished fifth in the Big South Conference while compiling seven wins on the season. He coached players that earned First Team and Honorable Mention All-Big South Conference honors as well as being named to the league’s All-Academic team.
Prior to the 2022 season at Gardner-Webb, Hughes was the associate head coach at Mars Hill University (2020-21) for two years. He helped guide the Lions to two trips to the SAC Tournament which included a double-overtime loss in the 2021 SAC Tournament Championship game. He coached some of the league's top talent, Hughes also significantly contributed to the success of forwards Kevonte Willoughby-Williams and Peter Plougmand, a Lions duo that combined for 20 goals and 12 assists in 2021 en route to Willoughby-Williams earning SAC Freshman of the Year honors and both players were named Second Team All-SAC.
Before his time at Mars Hill, Hughes spent five seasons on the coaching staff at Spartanburg Methodist College, where he helped the Pioneers compile a 64-28-4 record. In 2015, he began his collegiate coaching career at SMC as an assistant coach for two seasons before being named head coach in 2017, a position he held for three seasons. During his tenure, Hughes led Spartanburg Methodist to the NJCAA Region 10 Conference Tournament every season, while also notching an NJCAA Division 1 Southeast District appearance in 2018.
Hughes has also served as a staff coach at the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) and United FC.
A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Hughes played collegiate soccer at Spartanburg Methodist College and North Greenville University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Southern New Hampshire University in 2012.
“First, I would like to thank Coach Nick Finotti and Director of Athletics Rob Acunto for the opportunity to join Presbyterian College as the assistant men’s soccer coach,” Hughes said. “I have known Coach Finotti for a number of years and seen the work he has done with soccer in the state of South Carolina. With my experience as a former head coach and associate head coach, I look forward to helping guide the Presbyterian to a bright future within Division I Men’s Soccer."
