Shelley Smith Adds New Assistant Coach Tanner Osborne

COLUMBIA, SC – South Carolina women’s soccer head coach Shelley Smith has announced the addition of assistant coach Tanner Osborne to her staff on Friday.

“We are very excited to welcome Tanner Osborne to our staff” Smith said. “We have known Tanner for a long time as a fellow college coach in the state, and have always been impressed by him working together over the years.  We are thrilled to be adding the type of person he is to our program, in addition to the years of coaching experience he brings. He is such a great addition to our staff and mentor for our players, and we are all celebrating that he is now officially joining our Gamecock Soccer family!”

Osborne, a South Carolina native, comes to the Gamecocks from having just completed his eighth season with the Presbyterian women’s soccer team. In the spring of 2023 he was promoted to Associate Head Coach. Osborne’s duties ranged from helping implement, coordinate, and run training sessions, acting as a recruiting coordinator, and working as the team’s goalkeeper coach.

During Osborne’s eight years with the program, he helped coach PC back into the Big South Conference tournament (2019), improve win totals, and get numerous players to post-season All-Conference selections.

Along with coaching the Blue Hose, Osborne was an assistant coach with the USL II South Carolina United Bantams, South Carolina ODP, and was involved in private training for youth players.

In 2019 under Osborne’s direction, he coached the USL II Team of the Year GK (Bobby Edwards) and Southern Conference Team of the Year GK (Bobby Edwards). Edwards signed with Portadown Football Club in Northern Ireland in July 2019 and recently signed with FC Cincinnati of the MLS in January 2020. During Osborne’s five seasons with the Bantams, he coached and guided three players who are now playing professionally. In 2021, goalkeeper Sean Murray competed for the Bantams and then signed with FC Tuscon of USL One in January 2022.

Prior to working with the women’s team, Osborne spent two seasons working as an assistant coach for the Blue Hose men’s soccer team and six years as the assistant varsity coach and goalkeeper coach at Lexington High School.

Osborne graduated from Presbyterian College in 2014 with a degree in psychology and a minor in athletic coaching. He was a four-year player for the Blue Hose, playing in eight games in net his sophomore year, five his junior year, and five his senior year.

During his high school career, Osborne was a four-year varsity player at Lexington High School in Lexington, SC, where he earned All-State honors as a senior, was named All-Region Player of the Year, and was also on the All-Region and All-Area teams.

Osborne currently holds his USSF C license and will be pursuing his B License. He holds his USC level I and II goalkeeper license as well.