Collins Named Head Coach of UNF Men’s Tennis Program – University of North Florida Athletics

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida Athletics is excited to welcome John Collins as the next head coach in the 40-year history of the UNF men’s tennis program, as announced by Director of Athletics Nick Morrow on Thursday afternoon.
 
“I am so excited Coach [John] Collins is joining UNF to lead our storied men’s tennis program. Coach Collins has been a successful head coach at multiple Division I institutions, who has proven he can recruit and develop talent at a high level,” said Morrow. “His approach to the holistic development of a student-athlete makes him a great fit with UNF Athletics. I fully expect our men’s tennis program to continue and grow upon its championship tradition. I can’t wait for John and his family to join the UNF and Jacksonville community.”
 
Collins comes to UNF after serving the previous four seasons as the head coach at Presbyterian College from 2020-24. He was also at the helm of the Winthrop program from 2015-20, where he earned his master’s degree in 2017.
 
With just over a decade of coaching experience, he has lead the Blue Hose to a regular season championship and two tournament championships in the Big South Conference. He also adds regular season and tournament titles in the Big South, as well as Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles, from his time at Winthrop from 2015-20.
 
Collins is certified as a Professional Tennis Instructor by the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) and has also coached several ranked junior players.
 
“I am so excited to be the next head men’s tennis coach at the University of North Florida. I’d like to thank Nick [Morrow], Donna [Kirk] and all the coaches and staff that I got to meet so far for being so welcoming and for trusting me to lead this program,” said Collins. “The UNF tennis program has a strong tradition of success nationally and I look forward to building that brand while competing for championships and developing each student-athlete to be prepared for life. My family and I are excited to embrace the Jacksonville community and I can’t wait to get started. Go Ospreys!”
 
Collins has found success recently at Presbyterian as the regular season and tournament champions of the Big South Conference, as well as NCAA Tournament appearances, during the 2021 and 2023 seasons. Over the past three seasons, he has produced two Player of the Year honorees, three consecutive Freshman of the Year honorees, and one Scholar-Athlete of the Year honoree.
 
Collins coached 24 All-Conference selections and four All-Academic Team selections in Big South postseason honors, while also bring recognized three straight seasons as an ITA All-Academic Team. From 2021-23, he led the Blue Hose to a top-10 final ranking in the ITA Carolina Regional as well.
 
Along with their team berth into the NCAA Championship, Collins helped Max Benson and Dusan Milanovic reach a top-25 national mark in doubles and received a bid to the NCAA Doubles Championship in 2023. Milanovic also moved into the top 60 nationally during the 2023 season to also earn a bid to the NCAA Singles Championship during the same season.
 
Throughout his time as the head coach of Winthrop from 2015-20, Collins produced 12 Big South All-Conference selections, including Diego Quiroz and Tremayne Mitchell that combined for seven of the 12 distinctions. In his third season with the Eagles, he won the 2018 regular season conference championship with an undefeated record.
 
Success in the classroom was a focus for Collins as well with five Big South All-Academic Team members, as well as being five-time ITA All-Academic Team honorees. They also recorded the highest cumulative team GPA for the 2018 fall and 2019 spring semesters with both being over a 3.5 GPA.
 
Between his tenures at Presbyterian and Winthrop, Collins has entered the top 10 of the winningest head coaches in Big South Conference history. He also served as a chair member on the ITA Carolina Regional Committee during his time at Presbyterian.
 
Collins started as a student assistant coach at his alma mater of Tennessee in 2013 before moving on to be a volunteer assistant coach at Elon during the spring of 2014. The following season, he went on to become the graduate assistant coach at Winthrop University for the 2014-15 season on his way to taking over as the head coach in 2015.
 
During his playing days, Collins spent three years with Maryland before spending his senior season at Tennessee from 2009-2013 as a collegiate student-athlete. During his final year as a Volunteer, he was ranked as high as sixth nationally in doubles and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2013 NCAA Team Tournament.
 
Additionally at Tennessee, Collins aided the team into a top-five national team ranking, while also being 121st nationally in singles play. He played in the 2012 NCAA Doubles Championship, as well as being crowned the champion of the 2011 ITA Atlantic Regional and the 2012 ITA Ohio Valley Regional in doubles.
 
On top of his success with both teams, Collins also served as a representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) throughout his entire time in college.
 
Collins graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor’s Degree in History in 2013. In 2017, he graduated from Winthrop with a Master’s in Business Administration.
 
Collins and his wife, Megan, have one daughter, Adeline.