Jeremy White

Jeremy White, an acclaimed recipient of the Coach of the Year honors, arrived at the Mountain in December 2024 to take charge of the Lady Flames volleyball team as its 11^th head coach.

Over the past six seasons (2018-23), White has guided Southeastern Louisiana to remarkable achievements. He led the Lady Lions to consecutive Southland Conference championships in 2022 and 2023, along with successive qualifications for the NCAA Volleyball Championship.

In the previous three seasons (2021-23), Southeastern Louisiana achieved a 79-18 overall record and a 46-6 performance in conference matches.

White concluded his six-year tenure as the most successful coach in Southeastern Louisiana’s history based on winning percentage (66.1 percent/113-58) and maintained a 74.5 percent winning percentage in Southland conference games (70-24).

White has claimed the Southland Conference Katrinka Jo Crawford Coach of the Year accolade three times since the 2020 season (2020, 2023, and 2024) and has also been honored as the LSWA Louisiana Coach of the Year three additional times (2020, 2022, and 2023).

During the 2024 season, Southeastern Louisiana celebrated the nation’s longest winning streak with 24 consecutive victories and achieved a flawless 16-0 record in conference play.

White mentored the Southland Conference’s Player of the Year, Cicily Hidalgo, in 2024. Hidalgo, a four-time all-conference selection in the Southern Conference, averaged 3.86 kills per set during league competition, along with a .296 attack percentage and 4.72 points per set.

In 2023, White led Southeastern to what many consider its finest season ever. The Lady Lions matched a program record with 28 wins, achieved a 22-match winning streak, and secured true road victories against LSU and Texas State.

Southeastern Louisiana recorded its best-ever Southland Conference record at 17-1, clinching the program’s first regular season SLC title, followed by winning the SLC Championship, guaranteeing an automatic NCAA Tournament entry.

White was acknowledged as Louisiana’s Coach of the Year for 2023 by the LSWA and received the Southland Conference’s Katrinka Jo Crawford Coach of the Year award for his remarkable efforts, which were acknowledged by several individual player accolades.

Kailin Newsome was recognized as Louisiana’s top player for a second consecutive season by the LSWA and received an all-region distinction from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Rachel Hartmann was honored as the Newcomer of the Year both in the SLC and statewide. Gracie Duplechein earned a position on the All-Louisiana team while Cicily Hidalgo was selected for the All-Conference team.

In the 2022 season, White took the Lady Lions to the pinnacle of the Southland, winning the program’s inaugural SLC Tournament Championship on their home turf, thereby securing an automatic spot in the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament.

The team’s 25-8 record was a remarkable turnaround of 16 wins for the Lady Lions, who had only won nine matches the season prior. Kailin Newsome received the Tournament MVP title. Both Newsome and Hidalgo garnered multiple awards throughout the season, being named All-Conference and All-Louisiana athletes, while Newsome also collected the state Player of the Year honor from the LSWA and an AVCA All-Region selection. White, too, achieved his second Louisiana Coach of the Year accolade.

In his inaugural indoor season at Southeastern, White spearheaded one of the nation’s most significant turnarounds, guiding the Lady Lions to a 12-win improvement over the 2018 season.

Predicted to finish last in the Southland Conference preseason rankings, White successfully returned Southeastern to the conference tournament for the first time in three years, leading the Lady Lions to their highest overall wins since the 2004 season and their best conference win total since 2014.

White backed his turnaround with another exceptional performance during a delayed 2020 season, ending Stephen F. Austin’s 42-match winning streak in conference play and steering SLU to the No. 3 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament. 

Freshman outside hitter Kailin Newsome garnered the titles of both Southland and Louisiana Freshman of the Year. Middle blocker Crispin Adams joined Newsome in receiving All-Conference accolades. Together, Newsome, Adams, and Ansley Tullis captured five conference Player of the Week awards.

For his contributions, White was awarded the Southland’s Katrinka Jo Crawford Coach of the Year title in 2020.

Returning to the Southland Conference Tournament for a third successive season in the fall of 2021, SLU again benefitted from the conference Freshman of the Year. Hidalgo became the second Lady Lion in two seasons to achieve this honor while also earning the AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year award.

The inaugural beach season in 2020 was abruptly halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic after just three dual matches. However, the 2021 season marked the program’s first victories while navigating roster challenges posed by overlapping indoor and beach competitions.

Before joining Southeastern Louisiana, White spent two seasons at Northwestern Oklahoma State, where he led the Lady Rangers to their two most successful years ever (38-25), yielding seven All-Conference selections and a Great American Conference Newcomer of the Year award.

As the most successful coach in the program’s history, White guided Northwestern to consecutive appearances in the GAC Tournament. The Lady Rangers maintained a collective GPA above 3.0 throughout his tenure.

In his inaugural season leading the program, White orchestrated a 16-win improvement, culminating the year with a 20-10 overall record. Finishing fourth in the Great American Conference’s regular season, the Lady Rangers advanced to the conference tournament for only the second time in six years. For his outstanding efforts, White was named the state Coach of the Year by the Oklahoma Sports Network.

Prior to his time at Northwestern, White was the lead assistant at Lamar State College in Port Arthur, Texas, for one season and spent two years as the recruiting coordinator at fellow Southland Conference competitor McNeese.

During his tenure at McNeese, White facilitated the Cowgirls’ consecutive appearances in the conference tournament. He mentored three All-Southland performers, with two of them—Malina Sanchez (2015 Louisiana Player of the Year) and Bridget Justis (2016 Louisiana Libero of the Year)—receiving prestigious accolades from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

White possesses extensive experience in club and high school coaching, particularly noted for his time as head coach at Barbe High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

From 2011 to 2013, White directed the Lady Bucs to an impressive 81-28 record, securing three consecutive District 1-5A Championships and advancing to the State Quarterfinals twice (2012 and 2013). Throughout his tenure at Barbe, White was recognized as the district Coach of the Year three times, producing 16 all-district athletes, two district MVPs, two All-State athletes, and two state all-stars.

A well-known figure in Texas and Louisiana club volleyball, he served as a club director and coach for eight years, leading various club teams in both states. Numerous players he coached at the club level progressed to collegiate volleyball careers after training in his system.

A two-time graduate of McNeese, White received his bachelor’s degree in health and human performance in 2008 and completed his master’s in exercise physiology in 2016. He is married to Sarah Lyons, a native of Lake Charles, and the couple has two children, son Karter James and daughter Maggie Cate.