T1 has announced that Im ‘Tom’ Jae-hyeon will act as Interim Head Coach of its League of Legends roster as Kim ‘kkOma’ Jeong-gyun takes a “temporary leave of absence due to personal reasons.”
Tom will take charge of the roster as they begin the LCK regular season with a rematch of the Worlds 2025 Grand Final against KT Rolster on April 1.
Popular Coach Tom returns to the Interim Head Coach role
The South Korean returns to the role for the first time since 2023, when Tom took over as Interim Coach following the departure of Bae ‘Bengi’ Seong-woong as Head Coach.
Casual League fans would be forgiven if they thought Tom was already the Head Coach of T1. The now interim Head Coach is often more visible to the general public than kkOma as Tom takes the lead in the draft.
In his role in the draft, Tom has become a somewhat cult figure to League fans, with T1’s drafting comms often being shared by the organization as part of T1’s content.
One such moment went viral last year, as Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok tried to persuade Mun ‘Oner’ Hyeon-jun to play Mundo in Game 5 of the Worlds 2025 quarter-finals against Anyone’s Legend.
Oner had not played Dr. Mundo in a competitive match before the game, but Tom reassured Oner that the champion was simple to play, giving instructions on how to jungle with Mundo and when to use the ult.
That led T1 to their third Worlds title in a row, but it has not been smooth sailing so far in 2026. T1 failed to qualify for First Stand after a disappointing LCK Cup exit to Dplus KIA after a shock loss to BNK FearX in the Upper Bracket.
Tom will be hoping to focus his team’s minds as they enter the LCK regular season, which will ultimately lead to MSI and Worlds 2026.
T1 statement in full:
“Ahead of the 2026 LCK regular season, we would like to update our fans of a change in T1’s roster.
“Prior to the start of the season, Head Coach ‘kkOma’ Kim Jeong-gyun expressed his intention to take a temporary leave of absence due to personal reasons.
“After careful and thorough discussions, T1 has decided to respect his wishes. Accordingly, ‘kkOma’ will be taking a break starting from the 2026 LCK regular season.
“In accordance with LCK regulations, which require a head coach to be present on-site during matches, Coach ‘Tom’ Im Jae-hyeon will step in as Interim Head Coach and lead the team.
“We kindly ask for your continued support and encouragement for Interim Head Coach ‘Tom,’ who has already demonstrated outstanding leadership in the past, as he once again takes on this role.
“T1 will also spare no effort in providing full support to ensure that our players maintain peak performance throughout the season.
“As T1 embarks on this journey, we sincerely ask for your unwavering support and continued interest in our players.”
After a disappointing LCK Cup, will this set T1 back further? Let us know on our Discord server!
For more League news, CBLOL is set to have two slots at Worlds 2026.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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