Ryan HigginbothamClaim this profile

Women's SoccerRyan Higginbotham

Women's Soccer Assistant Coach

Texas Christian University

1.0

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Would Recommend

Overall

1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

1.0

Honest

1.0

Tags

Poor CommunicationIntense

Ryan is a coach who leads his program through fear rather than respect. He recruits talented, confident, and motivated young women, only to create an environment that can leave them feeling like shells of the players they once were. Players come to TCU excited to compete at the highest level, improve their game, and be part of something bigger than themselves. Unfortunately, that excitement quickly turns into anxiety, self-doubt, and a loss of confidence. Going to practice and being around your teammates should be something you look forward to. You should be excited to play the sport you love, challenge yourself, and compete alongside other talented athletes. At TCU, practice becomes something you dread. Instead of looking forward to getting better, you find yourself hoping you won't have to touch the ball for the entire two hours because you're terrified of making a mistake. The fear of being yelled at, embarrassed, or personally attacked outweighs the excitement of playing soccer. There is a difference between a coach who holds players to high standards and a coach who uses fear to control them. Great coaches challenge their athletes, push them outside their comfort zones, and demand excellence while still building confidence and trust. Ryan does the opposite, his criticism often feels personal rather than constructive. Instead of teaching players how to improve, he makes them question whether they are even good enough to be there. Over time, that constant fear changes the way you play. You stop taking risks, stop trusting your instincts, and start playing simply to avoid making mistakes. The creativity, confidence, and love for the game that got you recruited in the first place slowly disappear. One of the hardest parts is watching talented players lose belief in themselves. These are athletes who have spent their entire lives working toward the opportunity to play Division I soccer. They arrive confident in their abilities, passionate about the game, and eager to improve. But when mistakes are consistently met with humiliation rather than instruction, that confidence begins to disappear. Eventually, players who once loved competing can become afraid to even ask questions or try something new. No athlete should leave a college soccer program feeling less confident, less capable, or less passionate about the sport than when they arrived. I also believe prospective recruits should pay close attention to the number of players who leave the program. In my experience, conversations with other players have revealed similar feelings of disappointment, frustration, and regret about not understanding the coaching environment before committing. The program's turnover is something I strongly encourage recruits and their families to investigate. When a program regularly loses players to the transfer portal, it is worth asking why. Not every transfer happens for the same reason, but recruits deserve to understand what the day-to-day experience is actually like before making such an important decision. What is especially disappointing is that so many of these players genuinely want to succeed. They aren't asking for practices to be easy, for coaches to stop demanding excellence, or for playing time to be handed to them. They want to be challenged, coached, developed, and treated with respect. There is nothing wrong with being a demanding coach. Division I athletes expect to be pushed. But there is a significant difference between pushing athletes to become better and making them afraid to fail.College soccer should be one of the most rewarding experiences of an athlete's life. It should be an opportunity to grow not only as a player but also as a person. Coaches have an incredible amount of influence over young athletes, especially during such an important period of their lives. That influence should be used to build strong, confident women, not make them question their worth every time they step onto the field.

Women's SoccerRyan Higginbotham

Women's Soccer Assistant Coach

Texas Christian University

1.0

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Would Recommend

Overall

1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

1.0

Honest

1.0

Ryan Higginbotham is the worst human I have ever met in my life. He does not respect women and it shows in his personal life and on the field. He takes pride in the belittling of his players and thinks he is a God at knowing soccer but in reality does not take the time to care for and develop his players. He is inhumane he will make remarks that are uncalled for and strip a talented player of their confidence and love for the game. If I had advice to someone thinking to play for him DO NOT DO IT! Doesn’t matter if you are a starter or ride the bench you will hate him. Proceed with caution!

Women's SoccerRyan Higginbotham

Women's Soccer Assistant Coach

Texas Christian University

1.2

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Would Recommend

Overall

1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

2.0

Honest

1.0

Ryan’s superpower is the ability to strip a player completely of her confidence. Through screaming, belittling and criticism, Ryan turns a talented skilled player (that’s why he recruited you in the first place) and makes them paranoid to step out on the field. Ryan verbally attacks the opposite team during play, for example: “take her on.. look at her she’s big and slow”…. Ryan will strip a player of their on field creativity and destroy their confidence. Be cautious to look at turnover, not many players stay all 4 years.

Women's SoccerRyan Higginbotham

Women's Soccer Assistant Coach

Texas Christian University

1.2

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Would Recommend

Overall

1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

2.0

Honest

1.0

Tags

DirectIntenseDirectIntensePoor Communication

All he does is yell and scream. I don’t think he likes one single girl on the squad. Even the upperclassmen are miserable here. There is not one girl that has passion to play the game of soccer like they did when they left club. Most came here because they thought it gave them a chance to go to the next level and I don’t know if there is anyone that wants to play at the next level if this is what soccer is going to be like at the next level. This coach has stripped all the fun from the game. Plus, when we have our weekly coaches meetings I feel like I am being questioned by the FBI to find out which one of my teammates is not being positive. The atmosphere here is extremely tense and fake! I skipped a team party to study for a class exam and I was questioned about it as if I was a bad seed instead of a responsible student!?

Women's SoccerRyan Higginbotham

Women's Soccer Assistant Coach

Texas Christian University

1.6

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Would Recommend

Overall

2.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

2.0

Knowledgeable

2.0

Honest

1.0

Tags

DirectIntenseDirectOld School MentalityPoor Communication

A little background: My daughter played either DA or ECNL (when DA disbanded). Her team won a National Title at U14 and then were in the final 4 each year after that either to finish second or third each season. I tell you that only so you know that she was well trained from the age of 6. Her TCU Scholarship was what she fought hard to accomplish. However, she soon found out that Eric Bell is only the figurehead. Ryan is the guy running things and boy He is a screamer. My daughter played for him for 1 year. I have never seen her so unsure of herself and I would say slightly depressed. At the end of her club experience, she played the best soccer of her career. She felt comfortable with the ball at her feet, even with little space to work. She would play one-touch triangles, be creative to work out of tight spaces, and never second-guess her own decision-making. By the time her freshman year had ended, she was a shell of her former self. You could tell that she was nervous just to be on the pitch. Her play became so conservative. Most of the time she would play a negative ball (or a pass backwards) because it was the "safe" pass. All of her creativity and attacking mentality had left her spirit. She changed everything about her game to please him but what she never understood was that he was a screamer. She was trying to earn his appreciation and validation because all she wanted to do is please the man but he is never going to give you that satisfaction. He is trying to make you SO mad that you stick it up his butt!

Women's SoccerRyan Higginbotham

Women's Soccer Assistant Coach

Texas Christian University

1.2

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• 
• 
• 
• 

Would Recommend

Overall

1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

2.0

Honest

1.0

Tags

DirectIntenseDirectIntenseOld School Mentality

He is a leader by fear. He has a certain style that he wants played and that is all he cares about. If you are someone that believes in having a certain level of creativity on the pitch this is NOT your coach. He wants EVERYTHING done his way! He is an awkward fellow. Doesn't talk to many of the players outside of soccer. We were traveling and one of my best friends on the team went to get breakfast downstairs in the lobby, when she got on the elevator Ryan was the only one on the elevator. He never even acknowledged her with a "good morning", "did you sleep well?..." "are you ready to play today?" just looked at her and rode the next 3 floors like they didn't know each other. A-W-K-W-A-R-D!

Women's SoccerRyan Higginbotham

Women's Soccer Assistant Coach

Texas Christian University

1.6

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Would Recommend

Overall

1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

3.0

Honest

2.0

Bob Knight-type coach. Leads by fear. We saw him heavily recruit a girl from the University of Kentucky and then never play her. Totally wasted this girls Sophomore year which she then got frustrated and hit the portal again and transferred to Villanova but since this was her second transfer she now is going to miss her Jr. Yr now. My daughters class the 3 highest ranking players that they recruited (2022) all have left. 1 quit all together and the other 2 have transferred.