SMU Hires Princeton OC Jim Mitchell as Head Coach of Division I Newcomer

The university is expected to announce that Madalon’s offensive coordinator, Jim Mitchell, will be the head coach of the newest and buzziest program in Division I men’s lacrosse. Inside Lacrosse confirmed a report from Chris Jastrzembski, citing multiple sources.

Considered a rising star in the coaching profession, Mitchell made a name for himself when he switched from defense to offense as an assistant coach at Rutgers and installed an ultra-high-tempo, run-and-gun transition system designed to play at maximum speed, catch defenses before they can set up and maximize possessions.

It became known as the NASCAR offense, a system Mitchell brought with him to Princeton in 2020 after a one-year stint as the head coach at Bellarmine.

The Tigers ranked in the top 20 nationally in goals per game in each of his six seasons as offensive coordinator, including top-10 finishes in 2020, 2022, 2025 and 2026.

The advanced metrics are even better, as Mitchell’s units finished second (36.2% in 2026) and third (36.0% in 2025) in offensive efficiency the last two years, according to Lacrosse Reference.

Mitchell unlocked peak Michael Sowers during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, when Princeton raced to a 5-0 start before the season halted due to the pandemic.

Since then, he’s mentored offensive stars like Coulter Mackesy, Chad Palumbo, Nate Kabiri and Tucker Wade. The Tigers’ high-powered offense propelled them to the final four in 2022 and the program’s seventh national championship in 2026.

Mitchell also has a keen eye for sixes, the emerging 6v6 discipline of the sport being played internationally and domestically in preparation for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. He’s on the staff for the U.S. Men’s Sixes National Team, which upset Canada in the Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championships earlier this month.

Sowers and Mackesy were key players for that team, with Sowers earning all-tournament recognition and Mackesy depositing the game-tying goal during the frenetic final minute of Team USA’s gold medal victory.

Palumbo also plays in the U.S. sixes program. He suited up this past weekend at the Atlas Cup and was named Capelli Player of the Game for his four-goal, two-assist effort in a 17-16 win over the Haudenosaunee Nationals to clinch second place.

Mackesy and Kabiri were Tewaaraton Award finalists in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

With a deep network of donors expected to help SMU reach its $25 million fundraising goal by April, SMU fast-tracked the addition of men’s lacrosse to start in 2027-28.

The school announced the addition Oct. 15, staking its claim as the first Division I program in Texas and expanding ACC men’s lacrosse membership to six teams — the minimum required for an automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament.

At that time, it was rumored that SMU had already had extensive conversations with Madalon to poach him from Princeton. Madalon, however, withdrew from consideration and informed the team Oct. 17 that he was staying.

Other candidates emerged, but SMU went with Mitchell, a 2006 graduate of St. Mary’s (Md.) whose college coaching stops include Goucher, Roanoke, Duke, Bellarmine, Rutgers and Princeton.

Several Princeton players recently entered the graduate transfer portal with intentions of continuing their college careers elsewhere after their senior seasons this spring. Kabiri and Wade are two of the biggest names. All-American defenseman Jack Stahl and short-stick defensive midfielder Cooper Mueller also are in the portal.

That’s not to mention a slew of stars from other Ivy League schools who will have another year of eligibility after 2026 thanks to the NCAA’s new five-in-five rule.

In an interview with USA Lacrosse Magazine’s Justin Feil, SMU athletic director Damon Evans indicated the Mustangs would be aggressive in the transfer market with sights set on their debut season in 2028.

Note: Princeton played only five games in 2020 and did not play any games in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources: NCAA and Lacrosse Reference