Coed Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Coed Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Love Him Or Hate Him, Good Coach

Date: February 9, 2024

By Other

4.8

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

"Love him or hate him, Jeff knows his stuff. It seems like a lot of these comments were left by people who were personally burned or wronged by him in one way or another. I do not think it is at all reflective of who he is as a coach or person. Jeff really does care about the swimmers that he coaches and simultaneously cares about the program as a whole. No D1 program can succeed with leniency so he obviously does not provide it in this one. He has made the program and culture extraordinarily better. "

0

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Jeff Is A Great Head Coach

Date: February 8, 2024

By Athlete

4.8

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"Any coaching change is hard, and the switch from the prior coaching staff to his was intense. Jeff cares immensely about the success of individual swimmers and the team as a whole, in and out of the pool. Watching him cheer, jump up and down, and stomp his feet during meets and practice is proof of that. He has high expectations for swimmers, and truly wants all of us to exceed them. His passion for the sport and the team bleeds into his coaching and relationships with the swimmers. I have never felt uncomfortable going to him with an issue, as I know it will be taken seriously and that we will be able to come to a solution together. He is a great coach. He has completely changed the team culture into something unrecognizable from when he first came here. It is an environment of support, sisterhood, and respect. I am so grateful that he chose to come to South Carolina. "

0

Women's Softball

Beverly Smith

Women's Softball Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Best Decision I Ever Made. Go Cocks!

Date: October 6, 2023

By Other

5.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

3.6

3.8

3.9

4.5

2.9

Tags

Accessible Intense Cool Direct Honest

"Coach Bev is an amazing role model and I was blessed to have gotten play for her. I am forever grateful for my experience at USC and Coach Bev’s impact on and off the field. "

0

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Save Yourself From A Definite Transfer

Date: September 25, 2023

By Verified Athlete

1.8

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"Jeff Poppell is an absolute terror. Nearly ended my swimming career after only TWO MONTHS at South Carolina. This man is a dictator above a head coach. He only cares about himself and his ego. You are nothing more than a number on a scoreboard to this man. He creates a hostile, anxiety inducing environment that is impossible to succeed in. He refuses to listen to the needs of his athletes, he coaches one way and one way only. Forces all of his swimmers to go over hours to finish sets. He also has a tendency of pitting people against each other when it comes to travel meets, which arises tension within the team. I saw some of the mentally and physically strongest athletes I know quit due to his actions and immature attitude on the pool deck. In addition, this man absolutely loves drama. He has favorites on the team, and uses them to get information about other swimmers. He innapropriately spreads rumors about his own swimmers because he has nothing better to do. His drama spread throughout the coaching staff and managed to drive out his own hires within one season. The way Jeff Poppell treats his swimmers and coaches makes me sick to my stomach. Save yourself from a definite transfer, and STAY AWAY FROM THIS MAN. "

-1

Coed Swimming & Diving

Andy Eaton

Coed Swimming & Diving Volunteer Assistant Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Great New Addition

Date: August 14, 2022

By Verified Athlete

4.8

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

5.0

4.7

5.0

Tags

Creates A Great Team Culture Motivational Believes In You Easy To Get Along With Great Communicator

"Absolutely loved Andy. As I senior I thought there was not much I could improve upon but he had technique advice for me that changed my stroke for the better. Loved when he coached my practices because he was extremely motivating especially during hard sets, which I was very thankful for."

0

Coed Cross Country/Track & Field

Andrew Allden

Coed Cross Country/Track & Field Assistant Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Great Coach

Date: August 14, 2022

By Verified Athlete

4.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

4.2

3.8

3.6

4.6

Tags

Direct Accessible Cool Intense Knowledgeable

"Allden cares a lot about the team and shows that through how he treats athletes. Can seem to be intense at times but means well"

0

Coed Cross Country/Track & Field

Curtis Frye

Coed Cross Country/Track & Field Head Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Grandpa Vibes

Date: August 14, 2022

By Verified Athlete

5.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

4.5

4.3

4.5

4.8

4.5

Tags

Cool Direct Accessible Intense Believes In You

"Coach Frye has been in the game for a while so he has an extensive knowledge of the sport. He is very friendly and believes in all his athletes, regardless of their speed "

0

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

An Embarrassment To The University Of Sc

Date: August 3, 2022

By Other

1.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"In my knowing of Jeff, he may be the most delusional coach I have ever come across. After experiencing 1 year with Jeff as SC head swim and dive coach, I understand why he has no social media followers. Ask yourself when you ask your club coach about Poppell…. I am sure the response will be anything but positive rather to avoid the question of what is Poppell like? He brings nothing to the table but contributes and creates a low self esteem culture and does nothing to build an athletes confidence up. The last straw was accusing swimmers of going to compliance to report him for NCAA practice violations and he completely created this lie to cut girls, no one went to compliance, he created a false situation and used it against the team. He is the worst. Stay AWAY!!!!! "

5

Coed Swimming & Diving

Robert Pinter

Coed Swimming & Diving Assistant Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Loves The Sport

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

5.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

4.8

5.0

4.8

Tags

Believes In You Develops Team Beyond The Field Cool Disorganized Players Coach

"Robert is a great person and also a fantastic coach! He is a super goofy guy that makes practice fun with his lighthearted demeanor. His practices are a grind and involve a lot of yardage but I believe he knows what he is doing, albeit his training methods are old fashioned. Robert has a serious interest in the student part of student athlete and really does care about what his swimmers are doing. Highly recommend!"

0

Coed Swimming & Diving

Duncan Sherrard

Coed Swimming & Diving Assistant Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Brutally Honest

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

2.8

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

3.7

4.0

3.7

4.0

5.0

Tags

Direct Intense Honest Knowledgeable Believes In You

"Has anger issues and outbursts during practice. Picks swimmers that he wishes to force out of the sport and constantly berates them until they quit. Has trouble conveying his emotions beyond anger or happiness with an absence of emotional maturity that is reaffirmed by his opinions he likes to express about mental health (being you should suck things up and life should be hard.). On the swimming side, his sprint group has not seen success in the pool. His training program consist of super sprint with lots of dryland exercises . For certain athletes his brutally honest coaching style may be perfect for them, but it is very polarizing. "

0

Coed Swimming & Diving

Andy Eaton

Coed Swimming & Diving Volunteer Assistant Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Welcome Addition

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

4.8

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

5.0

4.7

5.0

Tags

Creates A Great Team Culture Motivational Believes In You Easy To Get Along With Great Communicator

"Great guy and a welcome addition to the team. Keep the atmosphere light hearted on the pool deck, but gets frustrated at times if you aren’t doing sets as intended or paying attention. Very good at the technical aspect of the sport and digs deep into the analytical side of swimming. "

0

Coed Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Coed Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Treats Being A Coach Equivalent To Being A Boss In The Workplace

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

3.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"Jeff is knowledgeable about the technical aspects of swimming, but has many inadequacies on the social side of his job. Jeff’s coaching style consists of negative reinforcement with a never good enough attitude, which works for some swimmers but others may not fair well against criticism levied on themselves throughout practices and duel meets. Professionalism is present while on the recruiting trail, but it seems to disappear once swimmers actually join the team. He has shown over time that he is immature, likes to talk about swimmers in a negative way, and gossips. I do think the team will move in the right direction over time under Jeff’s lead but would not recommend the program due to the high stress environment that is created under Jeff Poppell’s lead."

1

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Can’t Do His Job Right

Date: August 2, 2022

By Verified Athlete

1.4

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of positive things to say about this Coach. Within just a year of swimming under him, it became blatantly obvious that his image and job title were far more important to him than the mental/physical health of his athletes. He is so confident in himself and his coaching ability that he fails to listen to his swimmers and accommodate for the needs of individual athletes. He only knows one style of coaching and is incapable of incorporating others. He consistently puts his athletes down and pits them against each other in an attempt to “better the team culture”. His actions on and off the pool deck consistently display his immaturity and pride. It has absolutely nothing to do with the mental or physical toughness of the swimmer. I saw some of the strongest athletes begin to hate the sport because of the way Coach Jeff decided to treat the team. He was hired to do one job and that was to be a good coach. He is anything but that. "

2

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Save Your Self From A Definite Transfer

Date: August 2, 2022

By Verified Athlete

1.2

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"It’s very simple. You are just a number to this man. I have never loved a school more than South Carolina and I quit to the lack of support that I got when I went to him for help. I think he has a lot of knowledge on the sport but he simply does not portray it in the right way. He has no real record that proves anything impressive at the college level. So I would say that there are better options out there then swimming under Jeff Poppell."

0

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Umm…

Date: August 2, 2022

By Verified Athlete

2.6

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"Those that are praising Jeff in these reviews are those whose athletic performances and abilities lived up to his expectations as well as provided him with information he wanted to know about fellow teammates. They play his game. This man loves drama, even at the expense of the student-athletes he is supposed to be guiding. Rather than develop the athletes he arrived to he did whatever he could to drive them to quit or transfer so he could use their spot or scholarship in the transfer portal. This attitude spread throughout his coaching staff, driving out his own hires. The cuts he made at the end of season also made no sense. There’s people still on the team who should have been cut if the reasons he cut people in the first place is true. "

0

Coed Swimming & Diving

Andy Eaton

Coed Swimming & Diving Volunteer Assistant Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

New But A Great Addition

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

4.8

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

5.0

4.7

5.0

Tags

Creates A Great Team Culture Motivational Believes In You Easy To Get Along With Great Communicator

"Andy is new to UofSC but its obvious he cares very much about his athletes. He loves giving feedback and working on technique but gets frustarted when he has to repeat himself too often. Overall a really great guy and a god coach."

0

Coed Swimming & Diving

Kyle Patnode

Coed Swimming & Diving Assistant Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Young But Passionate

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

5.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

5.0

4.3

5.0

Tags

Cool Easy To Get Along With Great Communicator Great Leader Knowledgeable

"Kyle has been one of my most favorite coaches during my career. He is young but also knowledgeable and cares very deeply about his athletes."

0

Coed Swimming & Diving

Robert Pinter

Coed Swimming & Diving Assistant Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

10/10 Coach, 10/10 Guy

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

5.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

4.8

5.0

4.8

Tags

Believes In You Develops Team Beyond The Field Cool Disorganized Players Coach

"Robert is a great coach who obviously loves what he does. He is very motivational but wll tell you where you are lacking. Swimming under him is always very fun and reminds you why you do the sport. "

0

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Man With A Goal And An Intense Drive To Reach It

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

4.2

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"I believe Jeff will stop at almost nothing to achieve his goals and get the team where he wants it to be. He can be a little discourgaing in his ways of motivating because he caters to what motivates men even though it doesn't always work for the women. He can be a bit intense but he means well and wants his swimmers to reach his goals. Speaking from eperience, the best way to maintain a relationship with Jeff is to keep it on a professional basis only and leave all the comments he makes on the pool deck, don't carry it with you."

-1

Coed Swimming & Diving

Duncan Sherrard

Coed Swimming & Diving Assistant Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Passionate And Fills Like A Father Figure

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

5.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

3.7

4.0

3.7

4.0

5.0

Tags

Direct Intense Honest Knowledgeable Believes In You

"One of the best coaches I have ever had in terms of developing the athlete as a whole person. He truly believes in his swimmers and admires character and work ethic. H eis very direct and honest but not unreasonable."

0

Coed Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Coed Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina Beaufort

NCAA DIII • Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League | ECWHL

Read These Reviews With Caution

Date: August 2, 2022

By Other

5.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"Honestly I don’t really understand some of these reviews. Is Jeff tough? Yes, absolutely. But he’s also incredibly understanding and kind. Most of the people who got cut or didn’t like him we’re not good for the team culture and didn’t really want to be there. All expected for a team with a new head coach and in a period of transition. It seems like some people have forgotten that Jeff’s job is to be a great coach which he does exceptionally well while also shaping the future and lives of his swimmers with care and compassion. Could ask of more from a coach."

0

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Intense

Date: August 2, 2022

By Verified Athlete

4.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"A great coach but struggles to understand the best way to motivate females "

0

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Couldn’t Recommend Less

Date: August 2, 2022

By Verified Athlete

2.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"I loved the sport before this man became my coach, and my only year swimming under him… I never hated it more. Creates an extremely intense, anxiety-inducing environment. Could not care less about you as a person. Only wants to win and will do whatever it takes. Couldn’t recommend less"

0

Women's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Not The Best

Date: July 29, 2022

By Other

2.6

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"Ended my swimming career 2 weeks after he started coaching. It wasn’t necessarily because of him, but when I decided to be done he did not care at all. If anything, he was happy to get scholarship money for a better swimmer. He isn’t the worst, but isn’t the best. He definitely picked favorites from what I saw "

0

Men's Swimming & Diving

Jeff Poppell

Men's Swimming & Diving Head Coach

University of South Carolina (Columbia)

NCAA DI • Southeast

Stay As Far Away As You Can

Date: July 27, 2022

By Other

1.0

Overall

Caring

Motivational

Knowledgeable

Honest

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

3.4

Tags

Intense Direct Honest Passionate About Coaching Knowledgeable

"Jeff is the quintessential coattail rider. THE ONLY REASON this guy is a D1 coach is because he suckled from Greg Troy's teats long enough. He has a proven coaching record of running every program he's been the head coach of, into the ground. Despite what others review as up and up potential, let's not forget South Carolina women BEAT UF women at NCAA's 2 out of his 5 years as head coach of Florida women. He does not care about you as an athlete, he is 100% concerned about his own ego and reputation. I'm not sure he's ever had an original thought, simply copy and paste everything from Gregg Troy. While Troy's methodologies worked well in the early 2000's he was asked to leave college coaching for a reason. Jeff will soon join him as his coaching style and philosophy have no place in modern training. I would avoid swimming for this coach at all costs. He is a proven loser and USC swimming will simply be another feather in his hat of failures."

1

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University of South Carolina Beaufort

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