Palmer Accepts Position at Michigan

KENOSHA, Wis. — Carthage College Esports head coach Kevin Palmer has accepted a position at the University of Michigan as Assistant Director of Michigan Esports.

Palmer has been a part of the Esports program since its inception in May of 2021, building the program from the ground up to house 50 student-athletes, including its state-of-the-art Esports Arena, which holds 24 Lenovo gaming computers, a fully equipped classroom, streaming technology, and recreational gaming space.

"To say I'm proud of Carthage Esports and the program we have built would be an understatement," said Palmer. "Coming to Carthage from the high school space gave me a lot of perspective and ideas in how I wanted to start and run the program. The students, though, made every goal we set possible."

"Without the hard work and dedication of the students who came forward and said they wanted to be a part of this varsity program, none of our success would be possible."

Palmer accumulated 132 program wins and only 69 losses during his tenure at Carthage. Palmer had two teams, League of Legends and Rainbow Six, appear in the National Championship Finals, while the Rocket League team made it to the Final Four. Palmer also coached three regular-season championship teams and one playoff championship team.

"In the last two years, Carthage has gone from a small liberal arts school to a powerhouse in the Esports space and was even designated as the top Esports program in all of Wisconsin for the 2022-2023 school year," noted Palmer.

Along with the success of his Esports teams, Palmer's streaming team on Twitch was in the top three for College Esports in the United States. The Esports' social media profiles were in the top 15 presence for College Esports teams in the United States. Academically, the varsity Esports graduates 100 percent job placement post-graduation.

"One of the proudest parts of our program is actually outside of competing. Our stream team and presence on Twitch have been an amazing journey to be a part of. In just three semesters, we have pulled over 17,500 views of our streams and over 250,000 minutes watched of our live streams. Some of our stream team have had job offers while still in college to continue doing the work that they love, and ultimately, that is what matters."

"I'm excited for the next chapter of academics and returning home to Michigan. To work at The University of Michigan is truly the only job that could have pulled me away from Carthage, and I am eternally grateful for the time, failures, and success that I have gotten to be a part of."

"Go Firebirds!"

A national search to find the next Esports Heach Coach will begin immediately.

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