Wilkes University has welcomed a new face to its athletic program: Jordan Drumheller, the newly hired head coach of Men’s Lacrosse. With a career that spans over a decade and a coaching philosophy shaped by growth, accountability and connection, Drumheller is ready to lead the Colonels into a new era of competition and culture.
For Drumheller, lacrosse has been a lifelong passion. “I started playing when I was in fourth grade, so a long time ago,” he said with a laugh.
Growing up in the Baltimore area, he played throughout middle school and high school before earning the opportunity to continue his career at Greensboro College, a small school in North Carolina. That love for the sport soon translated into a profession.
“When I graduated in 2010, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Drumheller explained. “But I kind of started getting into the coaching camp realm, and from there my coaching career began.”
His journey took him across the country: a university in Tennessee, Huntingdon College in Alabama—where he helped launch a new program with a close friend, then Catawba College in North Carolina, and Bridgewater College in Virginia, where he spent four and a half years.
While the frequent moves might seem challenging, Drumheller sees them as opportunities.
“To me, it’s normal. I’m used to it because I’ve been doing it for so long,” he said. “The best part is the people you get to meet. It’s a learning experience, getting to know kids and colleagues from different backgrounds. You see that lacrosse isn’t just one type of player or community, it’s a sport people grow to love from all kinds of places.”
Those years on the sidelines also shaped him into the coach he is today. He admitted that his early style wasn’t the most effective. “When I first started, in my first six years, I was not a good coach. I was a screamer, a yeller, and it didn’t work,” he said.
A turning point came when one of his players confronted him directly, telling him bluntly that his approach wasn’t connecting. “I had to self-reflect,” he explained. “If players resent you, you’ve lost them. I had to become a better communicator, a better listener.”
Now, Drumheller describes his coaching style as tough but fair. “In the moment, do your job and I’m happy. Do your best,” he said. He adjusts to each player, balancing discipline with encouragement. “I try to be a player’s coach. I don’t like dull; there’s music playing, there’s energy. My style changes with the weather. I’ve got to grow, I’ve got to deal with myself. At the end of the day, it’s about making the team better.”
When it comes to goals, Drumheller is realistic but ambitious. “Short term, I want us to be competitive, get our team GPA above a 3.0 and each year knock off a team we weren’t supposed to,” he said.
In three to five years, he hopes Wilkes Lacrosse will be “nasty, recognized, respected. With a good reputation.” To get there, he plans to strengthen recruiting through communication and relationships, while growing the roster to 45–50 players who embody accountability, discipline, and competitiveness.
Drumheller has already been impressed by the Wilkes community. “Very welcoming. Very outgoing. Anybody you talk to here is kind and helpful,” he said. “It’s not just sports caring about sports. It’s everyone caring for everyone.”
That sense of belonging, he hopes, will carry over into his team’s culture. He encourages players to build chemistry by eating together, living together, and supporting one another while also branching out to share their identity with the wider campus.
Some of his most treasured memories as a coach have come from moments where his team defied expectations. In 2021, while at Bridgewater, his team defeated Roanoke in the finals, a first for the program. “Everyone said we couldn’t beat them, and then we did.
The excitement and joy my players had was awesome,” he recalled. More than wins and losses, it’s those connections and lasting bonds that define success for him.
As he settles into his role at Wilkes, Drumheller has one message for the campus community: come out and watch. “It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “You’ll get a competitive team, a team that won’t give up and a team that will shock a lot of people. If you don’t know lacrosse, come learn it. You won’t be disappointed.”
With his wealth of experience, his evolving coaching philosophy, and his vision for the future, Drumheller is determined to make Wilkes Men’s Lacrosse a program that is both respected and remembered.