Oakland University

"I am deeply disappointed with what has transpired with the women’s soccer team this year. The university clearly made a bad hire. Coach Devin is the furthest thing from a coach or leader. Leaders are people who earn trust and respect by caring about people, committing to their success and being confidential. Devin is not an honest person. He created division by talking about players behind their backs with other players, including discussing players scholarships and financial situation. If you did not gossip with him. You received the silent treatment and loss of playing time. If you went to Devin for feedback, he acted as if you were bothering him. Many times he was caught being dishonest with the things he would say. Devin consistently berated and threatened the players . Many players took their concerns to the administrators to share the hostile environment and the great stress and anxiety Devin was causing. Instead of investigating, the University dismissed the girl’s concerns. Even worse, the university then allowed Devin to retaliate against the girls. I recommend the University review the law about anti-harassment. Devin is a lawsuit waiting to happen. I don’t wish this environment on any student athlete. If you are considering OU, you may want to look elsewhere. "

"A word of warning to any incoming player. The Athletic Director at OU will not support you if you have an issue during the season. The Horizon League will not support you if you have an issue. Devin has connections because of his Dad, and the AD was forced to hire him due to his connections to the Men’s Basketball Coach. He was not properly vetted and solely hired because of these reasons. Devin feels he is above the law and breaks NCAA Regulations which harm his players physical and mental health. If you are looking for the family environment schools in the Horizon League typically offer, go elsewhere. "

"This coach had big shoes to fill, when it comes to team chemistry, moral and leadership, and he failed miserably and the seasons stats showed it. He came in with a bunch of promises and the team was eager to get started, but he quickly showed, he was just talk. He used intimidation to scare his players, and taunted them continuously, numerous ways. He destroyed all of the team chemistry and team culture, that the previous coaches created; they made the team a family. Devin did the opposite and created division, animosity and hierarchy within the team. For athletes, being motivated and feeling confident are key to both enjoyment and performance, and a coach’s role should be to foster that. He has destroyed many of the player’s confidence and some will not return to the sport they loved and were very skilled at; all because of the Devin’s demoralizing behaviour. After reading previous reviews, I see that the feeling was mutual between Oakland players and parents alike. I’m truly disappointed that we had to be a part of this season. The disappointment is especially deep given that Oakland is a place where athletes and their families felt connected and supported. Oakland was a place of love, joy and excitement and he took that all away. I hope this feedback reaches the right people and that future seasons can bring back that sense of community and support for the team."

"He doesn't deserve the title "coach" I don't even know how he got the licence, he lies to the players promising things that never happened, destroyed an amazing group of girls with gossip and put theirs dreams down with bad criticism. GO AWAY FROM THIS TERRIBLE PERSON!!!"

"The disunion of a group will always be the result of the lack of leadership of the person who directs it... it is very sad to see that those players suffer from abuse and no one does anything to prevent it... I have felt it during this season. Seeing faces of fear in front of an abusive coach is not something easy to process...feeling in practice and on the field the lack of maturity of a coach only indicates the necessity to find a way to set a precedent for the future of Oakland University. I highly DO NOT recommend any athlete be coaching by him."

"If I could give zero stars, I would. Our experience with this coach has been nothing short of disastrous. Attending anything team related (practice, games, travel, and even meals) is incredibly exhausting and often demoralizing. He creates a toxic environment fueled by manipulation, favoritism, and emotional abuse. He routinely invades players’ personal lives, spreading gossip and making out-of-line comments. He promotes bullying and has divided the team into cliques. Comments of cutting players are constant, even before seeing any of us play. His treatment of international players, support staff, and volunteers is dismissive and disrespectful. This coach is unfit to lead, and no athlete should have to endure the emotional and mental toll he inflicts. If you care about your athletes, he is not someone who should be in charge of development on or off the field. The scorelines of his current team has very little to do with lack of ability, talent, or work ethic and everything to do with poor leadership. Instead of focusing on securing game wins, he is obsessed with creating false narratives of players and provoking conflict on the team. He took a positive and uplifting environment and destroyed it very quickly. If you're a perspective athlete the best advice is to take your talents elsewhere. While Oakland is a great university with an amazing athletic department family, he has taken a positive and uplifting team and ruined it. Devin is a great salesman but nothing more."

"I am a current player here at Oakland and my overall experience with Devin as our new head coach has been a terrible experience. We have been lied to, lead on, and emotionally and mentally abused over the course of the season. I couldn’t be happier that this season is coming to an end because it has been unbearable. The environment that was supposed to be created this season was supposed to be competitive, growth minded, and enjoyable. Non of these have been implemented into our season, instead an environment was created that it is okay for players to bad mouth others on and off the field and for certain players to do whatever they would like with no consequences. My development as a player has decreased. I was expecting a new coach to come in and teach me a new way to see the game, but instead I haven't been coached at all nor improved. I would recommend any recruits reconsider their decision when coming to Oakland under Devin."

"I am also a current player and agree with all of the 1-star ratings on this site. I have also witnessed and been a direct target of the emotional abuse from Devin. He took a positive team and atmosphere and destroyed it. He has taken the family-like culture at Oakland U athletics and thrown it away. He has created an environment where players are negative to each other and his favorites gossip and say awful things about the others. Those actions have no consequences, but his nonfavorites are told they are the reason the team is negative. He is not a nice or stable person."

"As a player on the current team, who plays in every game and is given generous minutes, I am disappointed in Coach Zvosec. He talked a solid game before the season started, and quickly turned on this team. He has stopped coaching us and has written us all off. It is exhausting to attend practice and games and witness firsthand the mental abuse against all players. He is rude to staff and looks down on everyone he interacts with. Unless he leaves or is removed, I would highly recommend any incoming recruit or transfer rethink their choice before signing at Oakland."

"The experience with the coach has been quite troubling for the team. Many players have described him as horrible and disrespectful, creating a toxic environment that turns teammates against each other. He seems to have favorites, which only fuels the division. His coaching style is unclear; he appears to lack a consistent approach. Instead of focusing on developing players, he often gets too involved in their personal lives, neglecting his actual coaching duties. From an outsider's perspective, it’s hard to find any memorable moments worth celebrating this season. The overall team culture has become toxic, leaving many players feeling demoralized and disconnected. It’s a situation that clearly needs improvement."

"Devin consistently talks out both sides of his mouth to his players. He will say one thing and do another. He shows his immaturity by gossiping about other players to other players. He claims to have overcome depression and his own declining mental health; however, daily, he is a bully and causes mental health issues among his players. He will ignore players, instill fear in them, and does not put any effort into improving players. He makes threats to cut players if they have an "off" day. Devin is a control freak and shows many personalities to his players. Verbal and mental abuse happens at every practice, game, and during film review. Even if you are one of his "favorites," he sets unrealistic and unclear goals. He continually compares his current team to his old team and does not make anyone feel valued. He even treats his assistant coaches like second-class citizens."

"Buyer beware is the best way to describe Devin. He is a bully and mentally harasses his players. He is a good salesman but the real person is not at all of what he sells. I would strongly recommend not trusting him with anyone if you care about them or their development. He does not give any direction to his athletes on technique or tactics. He will make a comment to a player but not offer suggestions on what to do to improve. He will not help them grow in sports or life."

"He is a knowledgeable coach, but we didn’t have a good experience with him coaching our daughter. Our daughter struggled under his coaching and we were happy she left and had a better experience elsewhere. "

"Talked a good game but got too stuck on tenure of the athlete in the program rather than objectively assessing based on talent. "

"Kampe has been here forever and he really gives everything to this program. He’s built it from the ground up and being able to see that be so rewarding in the tournament this year was awesome. "

"Juan Pa is very dedicated to the game. He is a players player, and he develops a relationship with everyone on and off the field. He knows a lot about the game too, and his playing style is very similar to that of the pros. "

"terrible, racist, manipulative"

"It was a very bad experience, he removed my scholarship before the school starts by 1 week, and I couldn’t continue with my university (oakland) because of him, as i wasted 1 year of my life, because of him."

"Not encouraging "

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"I’m sharing my experience this season with the Oakland Women’s Soccer team in the hope that it may provide a clear insight to the awful season myself and many of my teammates had to endure. I entered the season with optimism, especially with the appointment of a new head coach, which we hoped would bring positive change. Unfortunately, the reality over the past months has been very disappointing. While the coach initially presented himself as confident and committed to the team’s success, his approach quickly revealed arrogance, inconsistencies, and favoritism. For instance, his standards for fitness and performance frequently shifted, leaving players feeling uncertain and demoralized. Although he established a group of so-called leaders on the team, they became invisible shortly after the season began, and he instead started selectively engaging with only certain players. He would speak to ONLY these players after practicing or matches for up to hours sometimes. This selective approach created a visible divide within the team, as some players received preferential treatment while others faced harsher standards. He would ask individuals on the team to meet and then ask them to gossip about their own teammates and talk about who they believed were "good" players or "bad" players. Not only that, he also would ask players if they believed certain teammates should stay on the team or not. This is incredibly inappropriate in my opinion and also puts these players in horrible situations. If the individuals he asked did not respond by feeding into the drama and gossip or talking down on their teammates he grew stale in communication and the individuals stopped getting consistent minutes as a punishment. The coach’s actions often undermined team cohesion, encouraging cliques within the team and using divisive comments that threatened to replace current players with new ones. These behaviors have negatively affected team morale and made daily practices stressful, resulting in a loss of enjoyment for many players. His lack of support for individual players and failure to foster a positive and inclusive environment have created an atmosphere that feels discouraging and, at times, hostile. Throughout the season, the coach frequently threatened to replace the entire team with "new players who are better and more committed," repeatedly suggesting that no one on the current roster was performing well enough. He seemed to care more about drama and puppeteering his favorites within the team rather than keeping the family like culture instilled before he got to Oakland. While he claimed "his door was always open" if you ever did go to him to meet or ask for feedback he would speak to you in a tone and carry a demeanor as if you are a huge inconvenience bothering him and wasting his time. If 0 stars was a choice I would have given none. It is no coincidence that there are so many poor and concerning reviews. This coach is not a good person nor does he care about you. He will not make an effort to get to know you as a person outside of soccer. He will not make any efforts to engage with the families of his players creating even further separation between players, the team, and their families. If you are a parent of a prospective recruit I truly don't wish that experience on you or your child, please strongly consider this before choosing Oakland. He will try to profit off your success to make himself look better. No player deserves to be treated as a business transition and that is all you will ever be to this coach. Steer clear of this program under this coach. "

"Kia is amazing!! She was our GA at Oakland and did almost every practice alongside us. It was different having a GA be so involved in what the players were doing, even our volunteering. But she was really cool and she really understood us. "