WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A little more than an hour after Keiser head football coach Doug Socha left for a new job, the Seahawks were quick to announce his replacement.
Myles Russ was promoted from within Monday, becoming the second head coach in Keiser football history.
Russ previously served as assistant head coach, running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for the Seahawks.
"I am pleased to announce coach Myles Russ as the new head coach of the Keiser University football program," athletic director Kris Swogger said in a statement. "Not only is coach Russ a day one guy, but he embodies all the qualities that the program was built on – hard work, good character, family, trust and he is a proven winner."
Russ takes over for Socha, who was hired as head coach at NCAA Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. The hire was announced earlier in the day.
"Coach Socha has won at every level of football and brings proven leadership and a record of success from his time in the NFL, Division I, high school and, most recently, Keiser University," Kim Pate, Lenoir-Rhyne's vice president for athletics, said in a statement. "He has developed Keiser into a national powerhouse and understands the importance of building a championship culture that develops student-athletes on and off the field."
Socha lured Russ away from Robert Morris when he was hired in 2017 to helm the upstart NAIA program.
Keiser is 55-15 in its six seasons and has been to the NAIA playoffs each of the past five years, including back-to-back national championship game appearances. The Seahawks defeated Northwestern College of Iowa 31-21 to claim the 2023 national title.
Before coming to Keiser, Russ was running backs coach at his alma mater. He was a running back for the Colonials from 2007-10 and is the school's all-time leading rusher.
"I have been honored and blessed to be given the experience to learn from the best," Russ said in a statement. "Coach Socha has been preparing me from day one of the program and now I have the chance to put that experience into practice. I'm excited to lead this team and will continue to defend the beach."