Ryan Palmbaum had worked as an assistant coach under his father Bruce at Kansas Wesleyan for the past two years.
When Bruce departed for a job at Utah State Eastern during the offseason the spotlight shifted to Ryan and whether he would replace him. It was not on Ryan's radar at first though.
"Initially it didn't cross my mind that it would even be an option necessarily just because I had been an assistant and didn't have head coaching experience," he said. "But as the opportunity was brought to my attention, I got more excited about it just because I did do a lot with the program the last two years. I'd taken an even bigger role with the team."
Given a chance to ponder the possibility it fell into place.
"I was excited once I got to sit down and gather my thoughts about it," he said. "I thought they were going to go with someone from the outside and restart with something fresh. But I think with the trajectory of how the program was going it was a really smart tactical move."
Palmbaum was named head coach in February and has spent the last six months getting acclimated.
"As an assistant you can fly under the radar," he said. "You're kind of blind to a lot of the stuff that a head coach has to do and then coming into that role and learning all those tasks and everything that you have to do is the hardest part. There's a lot more eyes on you.You're the reason (athletes) are having a good experience, bad experience, whatever it is."
Palmbaum is pleased so far.
"It's been very it's been an easy transition," he said. "I think the biggest thing was that I knew the players, at least the returners who were coming back, and I didn't have to start the relationships from ground zero. I was able to build on what I already had with them. Sports are all about relationships so having that base was really beneficial for me and I think realistically for the whole program."
Palmbaum said his dad is proud and supportive.
"He's just excited to see where I take the program," he said. "He didn't give me too much advice. He just said, 'go out and do what you do.'"
KWU placed second in the Kansas Conference with an 8-2-3 record, 11-6-3 overall in 2024. The Coyotes qualified for the NAIA National Championships but lost to Williams Baptist 2-1 in the first round.
KWU opens its season hosting Central Christian College of the Bible from Moberly, Missouri, at 11 a.m. at JRI Hospitality Stadium at Graves Family Sports Complex.
Saturday's game will be streamed live on the KCAC Network (www.kcacnetwork.com/kansaswesleyan) and on the Urban Edge Network (https://urbanedgenetwork.net/?school=kansas-collegiate-athletic-conference)
Three Honorable Mention All-KCAC selections return this fall - junior forward Noel Zimbeva and sophomore midfielders Seth Flores and Jakob Treitl. Flores is a Salina native.
"Noel been our star midfielder for the last couple of years," Palmbaum said. "Flores was second in all-conference Freshman of the Year voting last year. Jakob was kind of the unsung hero for us. He played a lot of minutes and didn't get praised as much as he probably should have. He's not the flashiest guy but he's a guy that you want on your side."
The Coyotes lost numerous seniors to graduation in the spring.
"We're really excited for all the guys who are returning because it's a real opportunity for everyone to prove themselves again," Palmbaum said. "It's not necessarily a rebuild but there are a lot more opportunities to make an impact."
He spent a good portion of the offseason on the recruiting trail and signed a large group of newcomers that includes several transfers. Three of note are Shae Wirt, a goalkeeper from Buffalo State, defender Aaron Joseph from Indian Hills Community College and winger Brennen Lamont from Utah State Eastern.
"Wirt is very impressive," Palmbaum said. (Buffalo State) made it to the round of 16 in the NCAA (III) national tournament last year so he's a guy who we're really excited for to come in and show what he has and bring some stability to the back for us. Joseph is from England. He's got great size, great technical ability, super excited to see how he does and how he adapts to our system and our team. Lamont is a great player and is going to fit perfectly into our squad with who we already have and kind of what we're missing.
"Really just looking forward to bringing everyone in and seeing who fits where and what strengths and weaknesses everyone has and be able to put together a championship team."
Palmbaum is optimistic.
"Me and my assistants had all the names on the board, and we were like 'a championship team is here,'" he said. "It's about finding who it is and putting them together, who works well together, who trusts each other."
Palmbaum said predicting how the KCAC will unfold is more difficult this year.
The Coyotes were picked third in the KCAC Preseason Poll, selected by the conference coaches.
"I'm curious to see how the political landscape affects men's soccer with the visa situations from international students," he said. "Luckily, we didn't have too many issues with that, but I am curious to see how it affects certain teams around the conference and if their players were able to renew their visas or were issued new ones. Men's soccer is a primarily international sport."
OKWU will be good once again but is not Palmbaum's only concern.
"They have a great coach, they have a great program, but we don't just look at Oklahoma Wesleyan because I think that's a problem," he said. "Everyone bases their season on one game. We treat Oklahoma Wesleyan like every other game, and every game counts the same on points - you have to win every game."
Palmbaum will be assisted this fall by Luis Vargas, Jaime Robledo and Rick Davis.