Jacoby promoted to associate head coach for men’s tennis

Jake Jacoby, a key assistant for men’s tennis head coach Matt Roberts for the past five seasons, has been promoted to associate head coach.

Jacoby joined Roberts’ staff in 2020 and has helped guide the Bulldogs to the postseason each full year, including three trips to the Sweet 16 and back-to-back NCAA Regional hosts.

“I’m extremely proud to be able to promote Jake as my associate head coach,” Roberts said in an athletics release. “Jake has worked tirelessly over the past five years to improve our tennis program. Jake is not only an outstanding tennis coach but is also a relentless recruiter and responsible for bringing in some of our best players over the past few years. On top of all that, Jake has built a tight bond with our team and those relationships have paid dividends in our success over the last several seasons.”

Jacoby was named the 2023 ITA Southern Regional Assistant Coach of the Year and has had six different student-athletes accumulate 11 All-SEC honors so far during his stint in Starkville. He also aided in the recruitment and development of All-Americans Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez.

The Little Rock, Arkansas, native has helped steer the Bulldogs to 81 wins during his tenure, including 30 victories over ranked opponents and 25 shutouts. The Bulldogs also earned the highest-ranked win in program’s 101-year history with Jacoby’s help, knocking off then No. 2 South Carolina 5-2 on March 19, 2023.

“I would like to thank Matt, Tom Greene, Zac Selmon and everybody that makes Starkville and this program special,” Jacoby said in the release. “The community here and the abilities for us to succeed are not possible without a full team effort. Finally, I want to thank every player that I have had the pleasure of recruiting and coaching here at Mississippi State. They are the reasons Matt and I do what we do, and they help make this ‘job’ more like just a kid having fun each day. I’ve never been more excited to be a part of this program!”

MSU posted a 19-8 overall record this past season and earned a third-place finish in SEC play. The Bulldogs reached the Round of 16 for the fifth time in the past six seasons and return seven letterwinners for the upcoming year, including a pair of All-Americans and a first team All-SEC selection.

Philip Poe is sports editor.

MSU