Jason Lockhart - Soccer Coach - University of Georgia Athletics

Jason Lockhart

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
ugasoccer@sports.uga.edu

Jason Lockhart joined the Georgia staff in 2022 after serving with head coach Keidane McAlpine for the previous 10 seasons at both Washington State and USC, serving as the Trojans’ associate head coach for the final four campaigns. While at USC, McAlpine, Lockhart, and assistant coach Sammy Towne were named as part of United Soccer Coaches’ Pacific Region Staff of the Year in 2018 and 2021.

Lockhart has joined McAlpine in guiding their teams to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 11 seasons, including an NCAA Championship in 2016. While on the Trojans’ staff, USC never finished worse than fourth in the Pac-12 and won NCAA Tournament games in six of the past seven seasons.

Working primarily with the offensive players, Georgia received its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2014 and hosted a home postseason match for the first time since 2007. The Bulldogs also upset Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2010 before falling in penalties to eventual champion South Carolina.

The Bulldogs tied a program record with 16 different goal scorers, Graduate Abby Boyan became the program’s fourth All-American, with Madison Haugen and Dani Murguia joining her on the United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team. With 117 points and 43 goals on the season, the Bulldogs posted top-10 seasons in school history in both statistics, with the team only being shut out three times.

In his second season, he helped lead Georgia to a 13-4-6 record and No. 13 final national ranking, the highest in program history. During the season, Georgia won its first SEC East Division title, followed by the first SEC Tournament championship in school history, before reaching the Round of 16 for only the second time in program history. Croix Bethune became the fifth All-American in program history and was later drafted third overall by Washington Spirit in the 2024 NWSL Draft, while Summer Denigan was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year with six goals on the season.

In his third season, he continued the winning with an 8-7-6 record and third-consecutive NCAA Tournament home match. The Bulldogs again faced one of the nation's toughest schedules, headlined by a trip to eventual national champion North Carolina and a 1-1 tie at No. 1 Florida State, the program's first result against a top-ranked opponent. Junior goalkeeper Jordan Brown posted one of the greatest seasons in program history, tallying 120 saves, the second-most of any keeper in program history and the most in the SEC. Brown and graduate midfielder Nicole Vernis were both named to the Second Team All-SEC and the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Team.

With USC, Lockhart helped produce three-consecutive Pac-12 Forwards of the Year in Tara McKeown (2019) and Penelope Hocking (2020, 2021), one Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year in Croix Bethune (2021), one Pac-12 Freshman of the Year (Hocking, 2018) and a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist in midfielder Morgan Andrews (2016). As a team, USC averaged 44.5 goals per season over his final six seasons, excluding the shortened 2020 season.

While at Washington State, Lockhart helped the Cougars tie the program record for wins in a season (14), while his players set or tied 27 school records. The Cougars finished the 2013 season ranked seventh nationally defensively with only 11 goals allowed.

Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, Lockhart worked at the club level with Vestavia Soccer Club and the Birmingham United Soccer Association, serving alongside McAlpine in Birmingham. He and McAlpine are both Alabama natives who have known each other since childhood.

With Birmingham United, he served as the girls’ director of coaching and ECNL head coach, winning multiple state championships and finishing third in the 2009 National Championship Series. In recent years, he has also been a member of the Region III ODP staff and 14-18 age group head coach.