Brooks names Diaz replacement

The University of Georgia names its next head tennis coach, a replacement for Manny Diaz, who is retiring at the end of this tennis season after 36 years at UGA: Jamie Hunt is a former Bulldog All-American who has spent the past seven years as a top assistant to Diaz.

From Tray Littlefield, UGA Sports Communications…

Former Bulldog All-American and National Champion Jamie Hunt has been named the next head coach of the Georgia men’s tennis program and will begin serving in that role at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks announced Tuesday.

“Coach Hunt understands what it takes to compete at a championship level,” Brooks said. “He did it as a player and has led our program to championships as the associate head coach over the last few years. Jamie is someone who connects with our student-athletes and has helped lead our team to top recruiting classes nearly every year. I know our fans, alumni and student-athletes will be thrilled to have Jamie as the head coach of Georgia men’s tennis.”

Hunt is currently in his seventh season as the associate head coach on Georgia’s staff. Hunt will become the third head coach in the modern history of the program dating back to 1955, replacing the legendary Manuel Diaz, who recently announced his retirement.

“I am delighted that Jamie Hunt has been named the next head coach of men’s tennis at the University of Georgia,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “He exemplifies UGA’s standards of excellence for coaches and student-athletes, and I know that our men’s tennis program will benefit tremendously from his continued leadership.”

Hunt played for Coach Diaz from 2007-2010 and helped lead Georgia to a pair of national championships. He returned to his alma mater in 2017 to serve as the program’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.

Under Hunt’s leadership, Georgia has signed a top-10 class in all but one season — the No. 2 class in 2018, No. 3 in 2019, No. 10 in 2021 and most recently bringing in the top-ranked class in 2023. That recruiting success has translated to the court.

During the 2022-23 campaign, Hunt helped lead Georgia to a Southeastern Conference Championship with a perfect 12-0 mark in league play. The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, and freshman Ethan Quinn captured the program’s fifth NCAA singles title, joining all-time greats Mikael Pernfors (1984, 1985) and Matias Boeker (2001, 2002).

“Being named the head coach of Georgia men’s tennis is the privilege of a lifetime,” Hunt said. “It is hard to put into words how much this university and tennis program have meant to me and my family. I would like to thank President Morehead and Athletics Director Josh Brooks for the opportunity to serve our incredible student-athletes as their head coach and lead this storied program into the future.”

“I’d also like to thank Will Glenn for being such an important mentor to me and Ian Duvenhage for taking a chance on me as a young coach by giving me my coaching start in college tennis,” Hunt said. “And, of course, I owe the biggest thanks to Coach Diaz. To learn from and be mentored by the greatest college coach of all time has more than prepared me for this opportunity, and I am forever grateful for him and his leadership. To the best fans and lettermen in the country, I look forward to making you proud with how this team competes and represents this world-class university on and off the court.”

Since Hunt returned to Athens in 2017, the Bulldogs have accumulated a 116-54 record, including two NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances and one semifinal finish. He has been named the ITA Southeastern Region Coach of the Year twice (2019, 2023), while his players have won a plethora of awards, including 22 All-SEC recognitions, 11 ITA All-America distinctions, nine ITA Southeast Regional awards, ITA National Rookie of the Year and ITA National Senior Player of the Year.

“Jamie Hunt is the perfect choice to continue the great tradition of Georgia tennis,” Diaz said. “He was an elite player, he is an excellent coach, and, most of all, he is an exemplary person. Jamie always has a positive attitude and a smile on his face. Over the last few years, Jamie has taken on an even larger role with our team, which resulted in us winning an SEC Championship and NCAA singles title last season. I know our players, our future players, fans and alumni are excited to have Jamie lead this program.”

Before coming back to his alma mater, Hunt served as the associate head coach for the Vanderbilt men’s tennis program from 2013-17. The Commodores had an impressive year in 2013, finishing with a No. 15 ITA national ranking following an appearance in the NCAA Round of 16, marking Vanderbilt’s highest ranking in over a decade.

Hunt then helped Vandy to a No. 20 national ranking in 2014 as the team hosted the NCAA Tournament regional round for the second year in a row. In 2015, Hunt developed Gonzales Austin into Vanderbilt’s second-ever SEC Player of the Year, helping the program earn its best SEC record in nearly a decade with an 8-4 mark against league opponents. During his seven years in Nashville, four Vanderbilt players were named ITA All-Americans, while two doubles teams reached the No. 1 ranking in the ITA Doubles poll.

During his playing career, Hunt won the U.S. Open Junior Doubles Championships before becoming an All-SEC and All-American performer at Georgia. His 116 singles wins still rank 13th in school history for the four-time All-SEC selection, while his combined singles and doubles record of 238-80 ranks third in the Georgia record book.

Off the court, he was the winner of the prestigious ITA Southeast Regional Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.

Hunt and his wife, Kyndal Edwards Hunt, met as seniors at the University of Georgia. The couple has five children: daughter Blakely (8), son Hayes (6), three-year-old twins — daughter Macy and son Hudson — and son Ford, who was born in September 2022.

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