Jordan Carver brings an accomplished combination of collegiate coaching experience, international recruiting expertise, and educational consulting to Global Education & Sports Partners (GESP). A two-time national championship coach, former NJCAA Coach of the Year, and 2023 inductee into the Iowa Western Community College Hall of Fame, Carver has built his career around helping student-athletes find the right opportunities to develop academically, athletically, and personally.
Carver has served as the head men’s soccer coach at Iowa Western Community College and Skagit Valley College, as well as the assistant men’s soccer coach at Salt Lake Community College. His coaching career includes national championship titles at Iowa Western in 2013 and Salt Lake in 2020. These experiences have given him firsthand insight into building competitive college soccer programs, identifying talent, and helping student-athletes navigate the demands of collegiate athletics.
Carver currently coaches the Boys U12 and U14 teams at Central Coast United Soccer Club and holds a USSF B License, reflecting his continued commitment to coaching education and player development.
Beyond coaching, Carver served as Director of Men’s Soccer Placement for Scholarbook, a German college recruiting service connecting international soccer players with educational and athletic opportunities in the United States and Canada. During his time with Scholarbook, the company placed an average of approximately 200 soccer players annually in the United States and Canada, giving Carver extensive experience navigating international recruiting and college placement.
Carver’s relationship with GESP began in 2018, when he collaborated with the company’s founder, Matt Kokoszka, on college placement while serving as head coach at Iowa Western. He officially joined GESP as an educational advisor in September 2024. Today, he works with student-athletes and their families to identify appropriate boarding school and college opportunities, helping them understand the academic, athletic, and cultural considerations that shape each decision.
His work with GESP extends beyond individual placements. Carver also helps boarding schools build and strengthen their soccer programs, advising school administrators on player recruitment, coaching staff, facilities, and other essential components of developing a successful program. His experience on both sides of the recruiting process—as a collegiate coach and a placement specialist—allows him to help schools develop their programs while connecting student-athletes with environments where they can thrive.
For Carver, one of the most rewarding aspects of his work is helping families discover opportunities they may never have considered. As he explained, “The best is opening the eyes of parents and student athletes to the endless possibilities that exist in the United States through the power of sport and education and the cultural diversity that exists within all of these areas.”
Carver’s approach recognizes that the path to a student-athlete’s goals is not always straightforward. Differences between international and American education systems can present challenges, but they can also create opportunities for students to strengthen their academic profiles and find the right fit.
One example involved a student from Germany who attended a GESP college identification camp that connected prospective student-athletes with college coaches. The experience led to recruitment interest from Yale University. Because of differences between the German and American education systems, the student was advised to attend boarding school for a year, complete advanced coursework, and improve his test scores. That additional year ultimately helped the student gain admission to Yale.
For Carver, that story captures the value of combining education and athletics: sometimes, the right path is not the most direct one, but the one that creates the greatest long-term opportunity. Through GESP, he draws on years of coaching, recruiting, and international placement experience to help student-athletes and their families navigate those possibilities—and to help schools build soccer programs that support their broader educational mission.