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Kyle Bailey wanted to be Jerry Maguire. Bailey watched the Tom Cruise movie and thought being a sports agent sounded like a cool job.

Kyle Bailey

But after doing a few internships in college, he realized he didn’t like the profession. Martin Blackman, his coach at American University at the time, asked Bailey to stick around once he graduated and become his assistant.

“After the first couple of weeks, I pretty much knew this is what I wanted to do,” Bailey said. “I really didn’t see the need to try anything else. I enjoyed coaching that much.”

College coaching has led Bailey, 39, from Washington D.C. to New Jersey to South Carolina. His latest stop is just a short drive across the state line. The former South Carolina men’s assistant is the new head coach at Charlotte.

Bailey was hired on Sept. 10. It’s his third head coaching job after previously leading programs at American and Monmouth.

“I always wanted to be a head coach again, and things just kept falling into place at Charlotte,” Bailey said. “I kept getting more and more interested in the position the more I learned about it. I just really love where the school is headed and where the athletic department is headed.”