Ryan Higginbotham was named an assistant coach at TCU in January 2012. He is entering his 12th season with the program in 2023 serving as the top recruiting assistant as well as coaching the field players.

Head coach Eric Bell's side kick since day one on campus, the duo have been instrumental in building TCU Soccer into a national brand. They coached the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016 and have been a staple in the national tournament, appearing seven straight. Three times, TCU has been a National Seed. The Horned Frogs have appeared in three straight Sweet Sixteens in addition to advancing to the Elite Eight in the 2020-21 season.

TCU has qualified for the all 10 Big 12 championships in his time with the program. Six times the Horned Frogs have made waves in the tournament, advancing to the tournament championship game in 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022. In 2021, the Frogs completed a dominating run through the tournament to claim their first-ever tournament title with a 2-1 victory over Texas.

The Horned Frogs' tournament run coupled with an undefeated non-conference schedule led to the program's first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2016. They backed up that appearance with a second-straight berth in 2017. Another appearance and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory followed in 2018. TCU's run to another tournament championship game in 2019 led to a fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Facing challenges never before seen in 2020-21, the squad took the program to elite levels as they won the first-ever conference championship, earned a No. 4 National Seed and made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Two Big 12 Championship trophies in 2021 earned the Frogs a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. In 2022, a strong non-conference slate and another run to the Big 12 Championship game earned TCU a No. 5 seed in the Notre Dame quadrant.

Since he came to campus, Higginbotham has been a force to be reckoned with on the recruiting trail. His reach has stretched from coast to coast and had an international flair in 2014 with the signing of Karitas Tommasdottir from Iceland and Cachet Lue from Canada. His first class featured 15 talented players and was ranked in the top 50 nationally. The 2014 signing class was just as strong with 17 players from around the country. In 2015, the recruiting class featured eight more talented newcomers.

The TCU name continues to grow and while small in number, the 2016 group is large in international experience and talent. The group of seven featured three student-athletes with national team experience. Another talented group with more international flair headed to campus in the fall of 2017 as 15 newcomers signed with the program. A group of seven talented newcomers, ranked No. 15 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, made their way to campus in 2018. The 2019 newcomers proved to be strong contributors as all 11 appeared in games over the course of the season. The latest class making their way to campus in the Fall of 2021 was ranked eighth nationally.

Since Day 1, his recruits have made immediate impacts on the field. In 2013, Michelle Prokof splashed onto the collegiate landscape, leading the team with 17 points. Her eight goals ranked fifth in the league. Another freshman, Lauren Sajewich, played every minute of every game in 2013. Bobbi Clemmer became the first Horned Frog since 2009 to earn first-team all-conference accolades and she backed it up with another all-conference campaign as a junior. She became the first two-time all-conference performer since Jordan Calhoun to close out her career in 2015.

The 2014 season saw a freshman lead the squad in scoring for the second straight season as Emma Heckendorn tallied five goals as part of 13 points. In 2015, Prokof and Heckendorn joined Clemmer on the all-conference squad, giving TCU its most all-conference performers since the 2008 campaign. Heckendorn, Prokof and Cachet Lue headlined the postseason honors for the Frogs in 2016.

In 2017, TCU put together yet another successful campaign with a then-school-record three All-Conference performers. For the first time since 2010, the Frogs produced a pair of first-team honorees in Katie Lund and Ryan Williams. Freshmen Yazmeen Ryan and Tijana Djuricek were recognized by the league and around the country as two of the top first-year players in the country. Another first came as Williams was drafted by the North Carolina Courage.

Ryan departed TCU as one of the best players to ever where the Purple and While. She was drafted No. 6 overall by the NWSL's Portland Thorns in addition to being a first-team All-American in 2021.

Messiah Bright (Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Year) and Maddy Warren, who became the third freshman since Higginbotham's arrival to lead the team in scoring with 16 points, continued a trend of impact freshman with their accomplishments in 2018. Bright finished her career as a two-time All-American and departed as TCU's career-leader in goals scored (50) and points (118). She was the fourth player to be an NWSL draft pick, going in the second round to Orlando.

TCU's 11 newcomers in 2019 were strong contributors, scoring 14 goals and tallying 13 assists for 41 total points. Gracie Brian and Grace Collins were named to the Big 12 All-Freshmen squad. Collins went on to have a stellar sophomore campaign earning Big 12 Player of the Year honors in 2020. Marz Akins joined the list of successful first year players as she was named the 2020 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. In 2021 Bright, an All-America selection, set a school-record with 17 goals and 40 points helping TCU set team marks for goals scored (60), assists (72) and points (192). Grace Coppinger was the latest freshman to make a splash on the pitch, earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year accolades. Four freshmen were recognized on the 2022 Big 12 All-Freshman squad.

The Horned Frogs' prowess on the offensive side of the game has seen a steady incline under Higginbotham's guidance. The squad put up impressive numbers en route to a 12-7-3 record in 2017. The 35 assists were third-most all-time, while the 103 points ranked fifth all-time. Heckendorn and Allison Ganter left their marks on the record book. Heckendorn left as TCU's career-leader in assists (22) and ranked 10th in goals (17) and fifth in points (56). Ganter ranked eighth in goals (18) and ninth in points (46).

Offensively in 2016, the Frogs tallied 37 goals, 40 assists and 114 points. At the time, all three marks ranked in the top-5 all-time. Prokof departed TCU ranked in the top-5 of all offensive categories. Her 27 goals were tied for the second-most, while her 68 points were third all-time and her 14 assists were tied for sixth-most.

Prior to 2016's offensive outburst, the 2015 team was one of the most offensive in program history, totaling 97 points (32 goals, 33 assists). It was the most since the 2008 campaign. The 33 total assists on the year ranked second all-time at the time. Makenzie Koch finished her career with 15 assists, then the third highest-total for a student-athlete at TCU.

In his first season on campus, he helped guide the program to new heights in the ultra-competitive Big 12. The squad advanced to its first-ever conference tournament championship, coming within one win of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. TCU tied a school-record with eight shutouts on the season and Monica Alvarado scored a career-high seven goals for the Frogs. Clemmer was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team, while four Horned Frogs earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Tournament team.

The Dallas native joined the Horned Frogs' coaching staff after serving as the Director of Coaching for the girls division at the Dallas Texans Soccer Club. Higginbotham was responsible for overseeing all girls teams within the Texas Club since June 2007. While with the Texans, the club claimed four national championships, including the 2011 U19 USYSA National Championship and 2011 U16 USYSA National League title. Higginbotham was named the 2009 NSCAA Girls Youth National and Regional Coach of the Year. Higginbotham also served as the Director of Coaching from 2003-2006 and has been a Region III staff coach for the US Olympic Development Program since 2008.

Higginbotham's most recent collegiate position was as an assistant coach for the men's soccer program at Akron from March 2006 to June 2007. While with the Zips, his duties included that of the recruiting coordinator and organizing team travel. He coached eight all-conference players, including the MAC Most Valuable Player and an NSCAA All-American. Of his two recruiting classes at Akron, the Zips welcomed three US Youth National Team members, one Canadian Youth National Team member and a former Arsenal (England) youth player.

Higginbotham also spent two seasons with the men's soccer program at Furman University, helping the Paladins to four Southern Conference regular season championships and three league tournament crowns.

He and his wife, Julie, were married in March of 2006. The couple has a son, Brayden, and a daughter, Olivia.