UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Head men's soccer coach Jeff Cook announces the addition of Oscar Umar to the program. The Ghanaian brings Division I playing experience as well as United Soccer League (USL) professional experience to the Nittany Lions as he embarks on his role as an assistant coach at Penn State.
"I am delighted to welcome Oscar to Penn State. We are very excited and proud to add him to our coaching staff and look forward to his contributions to our program," said Cook. "Oscar stood out as the exceptional candidate during our search process, he has the exact profile we were looking for and is a top, top young coach in addition to being a terrific person. Our players are going to benefit greatly from his knowledge and will enjoy working with him in pursuit of our goals this season."
Umar moves to Happy Valley after his previous role as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Washington University in St. Louis, where he began in 2021. Prior to his time in St. Louis, he spent just over one year in Radnor, Pa serving as an assistant coach at Cabrini University while completing his master's degree in organizational leadership from 2017-2018.
After a decorated Division I playing career at Villanova University, Umar began his professional career with Richmond Kickers Soccer Club in USL League One. Umar transition to the USL Championship League to play for St. Louis Football Club in 2019 until the team's end.
Umar spoke on his new position and said, "I want to thank Jeff Cook and his coaching staff for this incredible opportunity. I am very excited to represent the Penn State men's soccer program and can't wait to get the season started."
The talented young coach was a four-year starter and two-time team captain at Villanova. He was named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team in 2011, Third Team All-Conference in 2012 and the Philly Soccer 6 All-Star Team in 2014. Umar earned the title of the Wildcat's Most Valuable Player in 2013. Villanova made three Big East Tournament appearances during Umar's career at the school.
