In 2021, Jason Gross, a USSF A-Senior licensed coach, returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for the Howard University men's soccer program, bringing 20 years of experience as an NCAA Division I & III coach, sporting director, academy founder and educator.
At Howard, Gross plans and leads training sessions for the Bison's 28 student-athletes, directs national and international recruiting and supports training session design and delivery, along with strategic game planning through tactical preparation and film review. Those contributions helped produce the program's best win percentage since 2010.
Under his watch, the Bison have earned postseason recognition every season. In 2025, Naim Robinson, a Gross recruit, was named NEC Rookie of the Year, and Daniil Kaban earned All-NEC Second Team honors. In 2024, Bryson Baker (All-NEC Second Team) and Kaban (All-Rookie Team) received Northeast Conference postseason honors. Baker was also an All-NEC Second Team selection (2023) and an All-NEC First Team selection (2022), Gross's first season on staff.
In the classroom, Howard has placed as many as 26 players on the NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll in a single year with nearly two dozen honorees in each of the last two seasons.
Before returning to Howard, Gross served as Head Coach of Women's Soccer at NCAA Division III Trinity Washington University where he transformed the program on and off the field. He improved the team's winning percentage every season, developed the Conference Player of the Year, and led Trinity to its first-ever victory over an NCAA Division II opponent. Academically, his proactive support programming raised the team's cumulative GPA from 2.6 to 3.5.
Off campus, Gross serves as a founder and Sporting Director of City Sporting Club. The program serves a diverse community with a strong focus on minority and low-income student-athletes ages 4–18 and its mission is to create pathways to higher education.
Across his director roles, his programming has developed 17 NCAA Division I players, multiple U.S. Youth National Team players, two Gatorade Players of the Year and numerous professional players. As a coaching educator, he has delivered professional development to hundreds of coaches across the region.
A proud Howard alum, Gross also led the girls' soccer program at School Without Walls High School, a premier DCPS academic institution, to a DCIAA Championship Final.
As a player, Gross was a U.S. Youth National Pool call-up and a four-year starter and three-year captain for Howard's Division I men's soccer program, earning two All-Conference First Team honors before playing professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League with the N.J. Ironmen. He has competed in seven countries, including England, France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Denmark and Norway.
Gross holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from American University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer-Based Information Systems from Howard University. He holds the Director of Coaching, Goalkeeping Level 1 and Futsal Level 1 diplomas from United Soccer Coaches.
