Cloud9 names Inero new League of Legends coach

Field Level Media|published: Thu 2nd October, 12:54 2025

Nick "Inero" Smith was named head coach of Cloud9's League of Legends team on Oct. 1, 2025.

Cloud9 has named Nick "Inero" Smith as the new head coach of its League of Legends roster, replacing Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu.

Smith, 31, joined the North American organization as a coach in November 2024, and now will get his first opportunity as a head coach. He initially joined Dream Team in 2016 before also spending stints with Echo Fox, Golden Guardians, Disguised and Immortals until joining Cloud 9.

Reapered, who first joined the organization in 2016, was in his second stint as the team's head coach. After serving in the role from 2016-2020, he returned in April 2024. C9 owns six LCS championships and 10 LOL Worlds appearances, but failed to qualify for the 2025 World Championship in China.

Cloud9 finished second in Split One this year before finishing fourth in the Cross Conference tournament following a semifinal loss to Team Liquid. C9 reached the finals of Split 2 and qualified for the Esports World Cup, although it missed out on qualifying for the Mid-Season Invitational.

--Field Level Media