Lenoir-Rhyne is set to make a blockbuster hire at the Division II level, sources told FootballScoop on Sunday, hiring Doug Socha, the head coach of reigning NAIA national champion Keiser University.
Lenoir-Rhyne is located in Hickory, N.C. The Bears went 13-2 in 2023, falling to eventual national champion Harding in the Division II semifinals. Head coach Mike Jacobs took the Mercer job earlier this month following a 32-9 run over four seasons.
Socha is the only head coach Keiser has ever known.
He took the West Palm Beach, Fla.-based school on the field for the first time in 2018 to instant success. The Seahawks went 6-4 in their inaugural season, and from that point forward Socha led Keiser to five consecutive conference championships -- the Seahawks dropped one conference game over that span -- with three trips to the NAIA semifinals, two appearances in the NAIA title game, and a 31-21 win over No. 1-ranked Northwestern College (Iowa) in the title game last month.
Defensive coordinator Robbie Owens, chosen by prior winners as the 2023 FootballScoop NAIA Coordinator of the Year, will join Socha at Lenoir-Rhyne, sources said. Several other assistants are expected to make the move from Florida to North Carolina, sources say.
Assistant head coach/running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Myles Russ is expected to be named the next head coach at Keiser, sources said.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.