Colin McMillan is set to begin his first season as the head coach of Penn State men's volleyball and his 20th season overall in Happy Valley in 2026-27. He is just the fourth head coach in the history of the program as he took the reins following Mark Pavlik's retirement at the end of the 2026 season. McMillan spent 19 seasons working alongside Pavlik, including the past 10 in the role of associate head coach and the previous nine before that as an assistant.
McMillan came to State College in fall 2007, prior to the program winning its 2008 National Championship, and has contributed to 14 EIVA titles, including the most recent four in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. He has been a part of nine trips to the Final Four by the Nittany Lions.
McMillan has mentored some of the best middle blockers in the nation recently as Toby Ezeonu and Owen Rose combined for six All-America honors over the past five seasons. Ezeonu was a first-team honoree as a junior in 2023 and made the second team in 2024. He twice led the nation in hitting percentage for a full season. Rose wrapped up his collegiate career in 2026, a season in which he led the nation in blocks/set and was named the National Blocker of the Year by Off the Block.
One of the program's all-time greats, middle hitter Max Holt, played his final two seasons at Penn State with McMillan on staff. Holt was a first-team All-American both of those seasons and went on to be a three-time Olympian with Team USA. He helped USA win a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
A former Ohio State standout (1997-2000), McMillan trained within the United States National pipeline and competed internationally for various clubs around the world. A 6-11 middle hitter, McMillan was a member of the 2001 United States team that captured the gold medal at the World University Games in Beijing, China, and also was a member of the U.S. World League team in 2001. From 2000 to 2005, he was the starting middle hitter for the Besiktas Volleyball Club in Istanbul, Turkey, and also played for Castelo da Maia in Portugal, Marseille 13PVB in France, and Los Rebeldes de Moca in Puerto Rico, winning the Superior League Championship in 2000.
McMillan has also coached internationally with USA Volleyball. Most recently, he served as an assistant for Team USA during its run to a gold medal at the NORCECA Men’s Final Six in Gatineau, Canada. He also assisted the Junior Men's National Team in winning the NORCECA qualifying tournament in Gatineau, Canada, in 2010. McMillan was an assistant coach for the U.S. Junior National Team which finished fourth in the 2011 World Junior Championships in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
A four-time All-MIVA selection and a four-year scholar athlete at Ohio State, McMillan was named to the 2000 National Collegiate Championship All-Tournament Team. He led the Buckeyes to a national runner-up title that year and finished among the top five in hitting percentage all four years. He is the career record holder at OSU in hitting percentage (.481), block assists (473) and total blocks (548) and sits eighth in aces (59), second in blocks per game (1.56) and seventh in kills (1,206). During McMillan's tenure, the Buckeyes accumulated a 90-21 overall record with three first-places finishes in the MIVA.
A graduate assistant coach for Ohio State during the 2003 season, McMillan also served as a club coach for several programs, including the Excel Volleyball Club 18 boys program in Glenview, Illinois. He guided the Next Level 16 boys program in Franklin, Wisconsin, in 2005 and 2006 and coached and supervised the Stellar Sports LLC 15 girls club team in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with duties including practice and match coaching as well as travel and on-site supervision.
McMillan graduated from Ohio State in 2000 with a double major in international business and marketing and has worked outside of the volleyball community with such corporations as DePuy Orthopedics and Cosentino North America.
McMillan came to State College in fall 2007, prior to the program winning its 2008 National Championship, and has contributed to 14 EIVA titles, including the most recent four in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. He has been a part of nine trips to the Final Four by the Nittany Lions.
McMillan has mentored some of the best middle blockers in the nation recently as Toby Ezeonu and Owen Rose combined for six All-America honors over the past five seasons. Ezeonu was a first-team honoree as a junior in 2023 and made the second team in 2024. He twice led the nation in hitting percentage for a full season. Rose wrapped up his collegiate career in 2026, a season in which he led the nation in blocks/set and was named the National Blocker of the Year by Off the Block.
One of the program's all-time greats, middle hitter Max Holt, played his final two seasons at Penn State with McMillan on staff. Holt was a first-team All-American both of those seasons and went on to be a three-time Olympian with Team USA. He helped USA win a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
A former Ohio State standout (1997-2000), McMillan trained within the United States National pipeline and competed internationally for various clubs around the world. A 6-11 middle hitter, McMillan was a member of the 2001 United States team that captured the gold medal at the World University Games in Beijing, China, and also was a member of the U.S. World League team in 2001. From 2000 to 2005, he was the starting middle hitter for the Besiktas Volleyball Club in Istanbul, Turkey, and also played for Castelo da Maia in Portugal, Marseille 13PVB in France, and Los Rebeldes de Moca in Puerto Rico, winning the Superior League Championship in 2000.
McMillan has also coached internationally with USA Volleyball. Most recently, he served as an assistant for Team USA during its run to a gold medal at the NORCECA Men’s Final Six in Gatineau, Canada. He also assisted the Junior Men's National Team in winning the NORCECA qualifying tournament in Gatineau, Canada, in 2010. McMillan was an assistant coach for the U.S. Junior National Team which finished fourth in the 2011 World Junior Championships in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
A four-time All-MIVA selection and a four-year scholar athlete at Ohio State, McMillan was named to the 2000 National Collegiate Championship All-Tournament Team. He led the Buckeyes to a national runner-up title that year and finished among the top five in hitting percentage all four years. He is the career record holder at OSU in hitting percentage (.481), block assists (473) and total blocks (548) and sits eighth in aces (59), second in blocks per game (1.56) and seventh in kills (1,206). During McMillan's tenure, the Buckeyes accumulated a 90-21 overall record with three first-places finishes in the MIVA.
A graduate assistant coach for Ohio State during the 2003 season, McMillan also served as a club coach for several programs, including the Excel Volleyball Club 18 boys program in Glenview, Illinois. He guided the Next Level 16 boys program in Franklin, Wisconsin, in 2005 and 2006 and coached and supervised the Stellar Sports LLC 15 girls club team in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with duties including practice and match coaching as well as travel and on-site supervision.
McMillan graduated from Ohio State in 2000 with a double major in international business and marketing and has worked outside of the volleyball community with such corporations as DePuy Orthopedics and Cosentino North America.