Ricky Davey Named Campbell Head Men’s Soccer Coach
Jason Williams
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell University President Dr. William Downs and Director of Athletics
Hannah Bazemore have announced Ricky Davey as head men's soccer coach of the Fighting Camels.
With 12 years of collegiate coaching experience, Davey comes to Buies Creek after spending the past two seasons at Mercer. He served as assistant coach for one year before being elevated to associate head coach in 2025, helping the Bears to 11 All-SoCon awards over the past two seasons.
"I am pleased to welcome Ricky Davey as the new Head Coach for Men's Soccer at Campbell," said President Downs. "Coach Davey is one of those people who, when they walk into a room, you just know they have a relentless appetite for winning. He's confident, he's eager, and he's ready for the opportunity. Even more importantly, it is abundantly clear that he wants to win the right way and to ensure that his student-athletes have the best college experience possible both on and off the pitch. That makes Ricky Davey such a good fit for Campbell, and I'm excited to see the success he brings to our program. We're thrilled to have the Davey family coming to Buies Creek!"
"We are thrilled to welcome Ricky Davey as our Head Men's Soccer Coach!" said Bazemore. "From the moment we met him, it was clear that his intellect, charisma, approach to the game, and genuine passion for developing student-athletes set him apart. He is an exceptional leader with a compelling vision for the future of our program. Just as importantly, he has the unique ability to bring people together. We believe he is the perfect person to rally our student-athletes, alumni, and supporters around a shared commitment to excellence. Coach Davey's authenticity and relationship-driven approach will strengthen the connections that make this program so special, while inspiring confidence in where we're headed. We couldn't be more excited to have him leading our men's soccer program into its next chapter."
Davey becomes the 12
th head coach in program history and 10
th in the Division I era (since 1977).
"I am incredibly honored and excited to be named the Head Men's Soccer Coach at Campbell University," Davey said. "From the very beginning of this process, it was clear that Campbell is a special place with a strong commitment to excellence, both academically and athletically. I want to sincerely thank President William Downs, Director of Athletics
Hannah Bazemore, and Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer
Justin Wilkins for their trust and belief in my vision for this program. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead Campbell Men's Soccer and can't wait to start building a culture founded on togetherness, hard work and determination that will make everyone associated with Campbell Athletics proud. My family and I are thrilled to become part of the Campbell family, and we're excited for what lies ahead."
Last season, Davey helped lead Mercer to a 3-1-1 record in conference play and the No. 2 seed in the SoCon Tournament. Junior Casillas and Eli Bannister were named to the All-SoCon First Team, with Bannister accomplishing the honor as a true freshman.
In his first season on staff, Davey helped lead the Bears to a 6-5-7 record, highlighted by a win over American Athletic Conference regular season champion Memphis and a draw at third-ranked North Carolina. Under Davey's tutelage, five Bears earned all-SoCon honors, including Carlos Santamaria and Sekou Agard receiving first team honors. In December, Mercer forward Barzee Blama became the third player in program history to be selected in the MLS SuperDraft, going in the third round to Charlotte FC.
Prior to his time with the Mercer Bears, Davey worked as a coach in the Atlanta United Academy program. Beginning in October 2021, Davey first worked with the MLS Next Under-14 squad, leading the team to two MLS Next Southeast League Championships and a Patterson Cup Championship.
Following his success with the U14 Team, Davey became the U19 head coach and College Showcase coordinator. While serving as the U19 head coach, Davey also served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta United 2 Team where he focused on opposition analysis and defensive phase, while also serving as the Pro Prospect IDP Coach.
Davey served as an assistant coach and the director of international recruitment for Georgia State University from 2018 to 2021. During his time with the Panthers, Davey helped lead the team to the Sun Belt double in 2018, winning both the regular season and tournament titles for the first time in program history. The Panthers had two NCAA Tournament appearances during Davey's tenure.
Under Davey's tutelage, the 2019 Georgia State squad started the season 6-0-3, the longest start to a season without a loss in program history. The 2020 group became the first team in Sun Belt Conference history to appear in six consecutive conference tournament championship games.
Concurrent with his time at Georgia State, Davey served as an NPSL Head Coach for the Georgia Revolution in 2021. Under his management, the Revolution was the 2021 southeast regular season and tournament champions and made its first-ever appearance in the national tournament, garnering him 2021 conference coach of the year laurels.
Prior to his time in Atlanta, Davey took on a role as assistant coach at Francis Marion in 2017. While with the Patriots, he served as the Director of Recruitment and Defensive Methodology.
Davey has also served collegiate coaching stints at both LeMoyne (2015-16) and Alabama Huntsville (2014). At LeMoyne, he helped lead the squad to a combined 26-11-3 record and two appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament while receiving a master's degree in education. In Huntsville, the Chargers had a 13-4-2 record in Davey's lone season.
As a player, Davey spent one season at Appalachian State before transferring to Montevallo in 2011. Davey tallied 16 goals and 20 assists in his three seasons with the Falcons. Davey went on to be named to the Peach Belt All-Conference team once, Peach Belt Conference Tournament MVP in 2013, and help Montevallo win two conference titles and make two NCAA tournament appearances.
Following his collegiate career, Davey played several years in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) with the Rocket City United (Huntsville, Ala.), the Birmingham (AL) Hammers, and the Rochester (NY) RiverDogz.
He represented England at the U18 level against Scotland in 2008 and played and trained with the Yeovil Town Football Club (England) and the Orgyte Futbol Club (Sweden).
A native of England, Davey graduated from Montevallo in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in human nutrition. He earned his master's degree in education from LeMoyne in 2017.
Davey holds a UEFA A Elite and UEFA A Youth License in addition to his USSF B License. In 2019, he received his Premier Diploma from United Soccer Coaches, the organization's highest technical award.
He is joined in Buies Creek by his wife, Marianna, and son, Mills.
DAVEY COACHING TIMELINE
2025-26: Associate Head Coach, Mercer
2024-25: Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator, Mercer
2021-24: Atlanta United Academy
2021: Head Coach, Georgia Revolution (NPSL)
2018-21: Assistant Coach/Director of International Recruitment, Georgia State
2017: Assistant Coach, Francis Marion
2015-16: Graduate Assistant Coach, LeMoyne
2014: Assistant Coach, Alabama Huntsville