Penn State men’s volleyball has promoted its associate head coach, Colin McMillan, to head coach, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft announced Wednesday.

McMillan just finished his 19th season with the Nittany Lions and his 10th as associate head coach.

Colin’s 20th year in Happy Valley will be as head coach!

He is the fourth head coach in the 50-year history of the program. #WeAre pic.twitter.com/SWGMkS4dtz

— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) May 20, 2026

The change comes after the retirement of Mark Pavlik, who was the head coach for 32 years. Pavlik ended his career with over 700 wins.

As associate head coach under Pavlik, McMillan was involved in video analysis, training middle hitters, and defensive strategy.

This past season, the Nittany Lions went 22-8 and undefeated in conference play. The Nittany Lions won the conference tournament, but were bounced in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament by UC Irvine in five sets.

In McMillan’s time on Penn State staff, he’s helped the Nittany Lions win the National Championship in 2008, claim 14 EIVA Tournament titles, and make nine runs to the Final Four.

“I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to be the next head coach of Penn State Men’s Volleyball,” McMillan said. “To continue the legacy established by Coach (Tom) Tait, Coach (Tom) Peterson and Coach Pavlik is a huge responsibility that I look forward to taking on. I would like to thank Dr. Kraft and the administration for believing in our staff to lead this program and build upon the great foundation laid by all those that have come before us.”

After playing for Ohio State from 1997-2000, McMillan played as a 6’11” middle hitter for the 2001 United States team that won gold at the World University Games in China. He also played professionally in Turkey, Portugal, and Puerto Rico.

“We are thrilled to name Colin as the next head coach of the men’s volleyball program at Penn State,” Kraft said. “He has played an integral role in the team’s success at the conference and national level in his nearly two decades working with Coach Pavlik. His dedication to the program and his commitment to developing student-athletes at the collegiate level made him an easy choice to ensure Penn State continues to compete as a championship-caliber team.”