Courtesy of URI Athletics

Rhode Island Head Coach Jim Fleming has been named the 2025 CAA Coach of the Year. The award serves as a testament to the extraordinary turnaround he has orchestrated at the URI the past two seasons.

Fleming’s leadership culminated in the Rams’ securing their second consecutive CAA Football title this season, a feat highlighted by an 8-0 conference record. This undefeated run marked the program’s first-ever unbeaten season in conference play and delivered its first outright conference championship since 1985.

Fleming also earned a second straight nomination as a finalist for the prestigious Eddie Robinson Award, which honors the national coach of the year in Division I FCS Football. The recent success if the program is the culmination of a decade-long effort to rebuild a program that, prior to his arrival, had endured a long drought of losing seasons, including 16 consecutive from 2002 to 2017.

The foundation for the program’s current success was established in Fleming’s earlier years in Kingston. He led the Rams to their first winning season in 17 years in 2018, going 6-5 overall, and helped the team break into the national top 25 polls for the first time in over a decade. The 2024 season saw the team capture its first CAA title, earning a program-record 11 wins and their first postseason appearance and victory since 1985. The 2025 season built on this momentum, solidifying the program’s new identity as a consistent national contender.

With 58 wins during his tenure, Fleming now holds the third-most victories in Rhode Island football history, trailing only program legends Bob Griffin and Frank Keaney. His consistent success has also led to the program stringing together an unprecedented five consecutive winning seasons, permanently shifting the expectations for the Rams’ football program from simply competing to winning championships.

Fleming is no stranger to coaching honors. He was honored as the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year twice at Sacred Heart.