Carl Leone was named head coach of the inaugural Oakland University esports program on March 30, 2020.
The Oakland Esports team has qualified for the national playoffs each year from 2020 to 2025, including notable success in the 2022 College Rocket League World Championships taking 9th place, 5th place in CECC Smash nationals in 2024, 3rd place finish in CECC Smash nationals in 2025, and a 3rd place finish in NACE Smash nationals in 2025.
Leone joined the Golden Grizzlies after spending the last year as the League of Legends coach at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids in its inaugural season. While at Aquinas, Leone assisted with recruitment, budgeting, scheduling, fundraising, and in-game performance.
Prior to his time at Aquinas, Leone served as the assistant esports coach at Robert Morris University. While on the Eagles' staff, Leone assisted with the analytical preparation for competitions, provided student-athletes with personal improvement plans and generated content for the esports social media channels.
During his time at Oakland he has served on the Michigan High School Esports League (MHSEL) Board of Advisors and the National Association of College Esports (NACE) Board of Directors.
A native of Lake Orion, Mich., Leone earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Robert Morris in 2018. During his time at RMU, Leone was a member of the esports team where he competed in League of Legends.
