ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s soccer assistant coach Jonathan Potter has been named the new head coach of the men’s soccer program at Presbyterian College as announced by the school on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
“We are very happy and excited for JP,” said Elon head men’s soccer coach Chris Little. “He has worked extremely hard and been instrumental in the program’s success in the last five years. We are very thankful for all he has done here at Elon and wish him the very best of luck as the head coach of Presbyterian College”
Potter arrived to the Phoenix in 2011 as a member of former head coach Darren Powell’s staff. Prior to Elon, Potter served as assistant coach at the Carolina Dynamo of the Premier Development League and previously spent a year on staff at former Southern Conference rival Davidson.
During his time with the Phoenix, Potter has helped the program reach new heights while achieving national success as the maroon and gold has won 62 games over the last five seasons. Over that time frame, the Phoenix has captured at least a share of two conference regular-season championships, three league tournament titles while earning four trips to the NCAA Tournament.
This past season, Potter helped the Phoenix achieve its highest national ranking in program history, soaring as high as No. 8 in the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) Top 25 Poll. Elon also had its best start ever to begin the season (7-0) and clinched a share of the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season championship. Elon also earned its first win ever in the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 victory over Winthrop in the opening round.
Potter has also been instrumental in overseeing the development of several players who are or had played professionally including Austen King (Carolina Railhawks), Gabe Latigue (New England Revolution) and Daniel Lovitz (Toronto FC). He also saw goalkeeper Nathan Dean become the program’s all-time career leader in shutouts under his tutelage in 2014 and has mentored a number of all-conference honorees during his five seasons.
“I would like to sincerely thank Chris Little, Darren Powell, Dave Blank, Kyle Wills and all the administration and support staff at Elon University for allowing me to work at such a great institution for five years,” said Potter. “It has been a privilege to serve the student-athletes at Elon.”
Potter possesses a U.S. Soccer Federation “B” Coaching License. He also received an advanced national diploma from the NSCAA. As a player, Potter was a four-year starter at Chowan University and appeared in all but one match over his career from 2006-09. In 2009 he trained with a professional team in Argentina. Before that he played in the USL with the Northern Virginia Royals Super-20 team, helping the squad reach the 2008 North American finals.
A 2010 graduate of Chowan, Potter holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a concentration in sport management and a minor in business administration. He earned his master’s degree in athletic coaching education from West Virginia University in 2012. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Potter and his wife Melissa currently reside in Chapel Hill, N.C.