Not too long ago, Walker Zimmerman opted to leave Furman University early to launch an MLS career. Turns out, though, he wasn't done with college life.
In addition to his duties with LAFC and the US men's national team, the 26-year-old center back has served as a volunteer assistant coach for the UCLA Bruins under first-year boss Ryan Jorden.
In a feature last week on the NCAA website, Zimmerman discusses how he met Jorden and the challenges of shifting from the role of player to coach.
“I understand things, concepts, ideas," Zimmerman said. "But now it's a different challenge of how do I get those ideas and concepts across to a player? That's something that I've always wanted to continue to challenge myself to do.
“Keep learning, keep evolving, so that down the road when the time comes and maybe I do go into coaching. Now, I'm not unprepared.”
If Zimmerman went on to become an MLS coach, he wouldn't be the first to do so after serving as a volunteer assistant at a nearby college during his playing days. Current D.C. United manager Ben Olsen volunteered his time at American University while recovering from injury during the 2002-03 academic year.
You can check out the full story on Zimmerman here.
