The 2023 season will mark Drew Gallant's eighth year leading his alma mater.

The Hattiesburg native is a 2001 graduate of Forrest County Agricultural High School, where he was a multi-sport athlete competing in football, soccer, golf, tennis and track. He was an All-Division and All-State performer in football and soccer.

After high school, Gallant spent one season at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., where he led the men’s soccer team in assists and was second in total points.

After a year away from college, Gallant attended PRCC in 2003-04 where he was an NJCAA All-America Honorable Mention after scoring 27 goals and registering 24 assists; both marks were not only the second-highest totals in the nation but are school records. He was named to the PRCC Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

He then played two seasons at William Carey University, during which time the Crusaders were ranked in the nation’s Top 25 in NAIA. He earned a BS in social science in 2007 and his Master’s degree in sports administration in 2015, both from Carey.

Gallant’s coaching career began while he was still a student at Carey in 2006, serving as an assistant men’s soccer coach at Jones County Junior College. He was at JCJC for two seasons, then took over in 2008 as head soccer coach, both boys and girls, at FCAHS. He also served as an assistant football coach for the Aggies.

He served at FCAHS for three seasons before taking over as men’s and women’s soccer coach at Southwest Mississippi Community College, a position he held for five seasons before coming to Pearl River.

Gallant had a triumphant return to The River and in 2017 claimed the school's sixth MACJC State Championship. At the conclusion of the season, Gallant was named Coach of the Year by the MACJC, NJCAA Region XXIII and Mississippi Association of Coaches.

The Wildcats saw continued success under Gallant in his second season where the team posted an 11-4 record and advanced to the MACJC tournament. 

Pearl River also claimed consecutive MACJC South Division titles in 2018 and '19.

In the 2021 season, Gallant led the Wildcats to a 12-1-4 record while earning a berth in the NJCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

The 2022 season again saw Pearl River compete at a high level as the Wildcats ended the year with a 12-4-1 record. The Wildcats battled their way into the Gulf District final for the third consecutive time.

It was an impressive year for the Wildcats and Gallant in 2023. After starting the season 1-4, Pearl River rattled off 13 consecutive unbeaten matches to win the Gulf South District Championship and earn a bid to the NJCAA National Tournament. The Wildcats finished the year 11-6-3.

Gallant is married to the former Katelyn Doyle of Pearl River and has two sons, Landon and Bryce. The couple also has a daughter, Kate Austin.