Alabama Head Soccer Coach Wes Hart Extended Through 2027

Under Hart’s direction, the Crimson Tide made its first-ever appearance at the Women’s College Cup last December.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Following the best season in Alabama soccer history, head coach Wes Hart received a raise and contract extension, University of Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne announced. The approval was made by The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees Compensation Committee on Friday.

Hart’s new agreement goes through December 31, 2027 with a base salary of $235,000.

“I am beyond excited to continue to lead Alabama soccer and call Tuscaloosa home,” said Hart. “This would not be possible without my tremendous staff and the incredible young women who’ve played for us. I am grateful for the patience and support exhibited by our administration. Thank you to President Bell, Chancellor St. John and the Board of Trustees, Greg Byrne, (senior associate AD) Mike Ward and our executive staff for affording me the opportunity to work for The University of Alabama. There’s no place I’d rather be!”

Under Hart’s direction, the Tide made its first-ever appearance at the Women’s College Cup last December, after winning four straight matches in the NCAA tournament. The 2022 season marked the first time Alabama made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, competing as a No. 1 seed and hosting an NCAA tournament round.

In 2022, Hart also led the program to its second SEC tournament championship match, its first appearance since 1994, and won UA’s first-ever SEC regular season title off of a 10-0 run in conference play. The season was highlighted by a program record six wins over ranked opponents, including a victory over No. 8 Duke in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.

“We couldn’t be prouder of the job Coach Hart has done with our soccer program,” said Byrne. “While we celebrated a multitude of successes in 2022, Coach Hart and his staff put a lot of hard work and dedication in for many years to build to this point. Not only is Wes a heck of a coach, but he is an incredible person that we are so fortunate to have here at Alabama. We are thrilled to continue to have Wes as our coach for years to come and thank President Bell, Chancellor St. John and our Board of Trustees for their support in this extension.”

In addition to a year of firsts, UA set seven program records during the 2022 campaign. Alabama finished the year with school records in points (220), goals (76), assists (68), shots (539), shots on goal (231), wins (23) and shutouts (12).

The Tide concluded the season undefeated at home with 13 wins as part of a 20-game run inside the Alabama Soccer Stadium. Additionally, Alabama set a facility record, welcoming 1,882 people to its match against Florida for the SEC regular season title.

Hart’s guidance during the season helped earn United Soccer Coaches Southeast Region Staff of the Year honors and tabbed him as the SEC Coach of the Year, the first Alabama coach to receive the conference nod since 1998. Hart had two student-athletes selected for the MAC Herman Trophy semifinal list, including Reyna Reyes and Riley Mattingly Parker, while having three student-athletes named All-Americans in Reyes, Parker and Felicia Knox. Reyes was also tabbed a Honda Award Finalist.

Additionally, five student-athletes were named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Team and four players were named to the TopDrawerSoccer’s Best XI Teams. Hart’s SEC Coach of the Year nod was one of six major conference awards claimed by Alabama as Parker was tabbed the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Forward of the Year, Knox the Midfielder of the Year, Reyes the Defender of the Year and Gianna Paul the Freshman of the Year. Alabama picked up seven All-SEC nods to round out the conference accolades.

Academically, UA had five student-athletes receive College Sports Communicator’s (CSC) Soccer Academic All-America Team honors with Knox being named the Team Member of the Year. The Tide also had six student-athletes selected for the CSC Academic All-District Team.

Not an overnight success, Hart has been laying the foundation for the 2022 season since he was hired in 2015. Alabama has made three NCAA tournament appearances under his leadership, earning the Tide’s first back-to-back selections in program history after being invited to the event in 2021 and 2022. Prior to 2021, UA had not won an NCAA tournament match, with the program picking up its first-ever event win on the road against Clemson.

Four student-athletes have been drafted in the National Women’s Soccer League under Hart, beginning with Celia Jimenez Delgado in 2018 and followed by Parker, Reyes and Riley Tanner in 2023.

Prior to Alabama, Hart spent two years at Florida State. Those two seasons included the Seminoles’ first national championship season in 2014 and an overall record of 47-3-4 as an assistant coach. Hart began his collegiate coaching career after spending eight years (2005-12) in a variety of roles with the Colorado Rush, one of the premier soccer clubs in the country.

This was a press release courtesy of Alabama Athletics. To view Hart's full contract details, click here.

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