Tennessee Track & Field Welcomes Devin West As Recruiting Coordinator
September 10, 2024 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach and director of track & field Duane Ross has announced the hiring of Devin West as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach.
West comes to Knoxville with more than 15 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level and has developed a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the sport. He most recently served as an assistant coach at UCLA during the 2023-24 campaign after two seasons coaching sprints and hurdles with the University of Georgia men's and women's track programs.
West was named an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles at Georgia in July 2021, giving West a second stint with the Bulldogs. While in The Peach State, West helped coach Elija Godwin to a national championship at the 2023 NCAA Indoor meet. Godwin also earned a gold and bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, as well as his first SEC individual title in the 400m at the 2023 indoor conference meet with West's guidance.
West, a native of Berkeley, Calif., also spent 2015-17 at Georgia as the recruiting coordinator and sprints assistant and arrived back in Athens during the 2021 summer after overseeing the sprints and hurdles program at Air Force for the 2020-21 academic year. Starting his collegiate athletic career on both the football and track teams at St. Mary's College and then graduating from Kennesaw State University, West has both recruited and coached some of the country's best during stints at several Power 5 programs. Throughout his 17-year career, West has assisted with the coaching of six Olympians, 67 All-Americans, three NCAA champions, 41 conference champions and more than 70 school record-holders at Texas, Florida State, Arizona State, Miami, Texas Tech, UCLA, Air Force and others.
West gained experience at several of the nation's major Power 5 programs. He signed five No. 1-ranked U.S. High School student-athletes and three No. 1-ranked World Junior student-athletes, while also accounting for four Top-10 recruiting classes at Georgia, Texas Tech, Miami and Florida State.
During his stint at Texas, West assisted head coach Edrick Floreal in coaching the men's and women's sprints and hurdles program – a group that included two program record holders (Jonathon Jones in the 400m, Micaiah Harris in the 200m) and 10 All-Americans. He also saw both the men and women place within the top 10 of the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships and the women's team sweep the indoor and outdoor titles at the Big 12 Championships that year. In addition, West also assisted Floreal in coaching the 2019 USA Track and Field 100m champion, Teahna Daniels.
Prior to his time in Austin, West served as an associate head coach at Arizona State University in 2018. During his stop with the Sun Devils, he helped Alethia Marrero run the second-fastest 800m time in ASU history, finish second at the PAC-12 Championships and earn second-team All-America honors. With West on the staff, Arizona State's women finished the year ranked No. 12 in the USTFCCCA Top 25 and had a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
As previously mentioned, West spent two years as the recruiting coordinator and sprints coach for the Bulldogs (2015-17), where he was part of some of the most successful seasons for the women in school history. The Bulldogs finished a program-best second at the both the indoor and outdoor championships in 2017, after finishing third at both meets during his first season. He also assisted in the coaching of breakout sophomore Kendal Williams, who earned first-team All-America honors in the 60m, and oversaw a men's sprint squad that tallied more than one-third of Georgia's point total at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
West also spent time on the coaching staffs at Texas Tech University (2014-15), the University of Miami (2013-14) and Florida State University (2011-13).
During his one season with the Red Raiders, he helped the men finish second at the Big 12 Championships and ninth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while the women finished third at the conference meet and earned a top-20 finish at the national meet. While at Miami, West coached the men's 4x100m relay to its first regional appearance in four years and helped Artie Burns (currently with the Chicago Bears) win the ACC title and claim second-team All-America honors in the 60m hurdles. In his time with the Seminoles, he assisted the men's 4x100m relay team to All-America honors and helped Dentarius Locke and James Harris claim berths to the NCAA Championships.
West got his collegiate coaching start at Kennesaw State in 2007, and was a catalyst for the Owls' dominant run that included four Atlantic Sun Conference titles.
His accomplishments in the college ranks make up just some of the successes of his coaching career. West made a name for himself on the high school and international levels as well, coaching nine Georgia state meet finalists while working as an assistant at Norcross High School. He also sent an athlete to the IAAF World Junior Championships in the 100m hurdles in 2010, while coaching a 100m athlete to the USTF Junior Championships in 2009.
After competing for a pair of teams at St. Mary's College, he transferred to Morehouse College in Atlanta. West received his degree in interdisciplinary studies from Kennesaw State, while coaching the Owls in 2010. He is also certified as a Level I coach with USA Track and Field.
West comes to Knoxville with more than 15 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level and has developed a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the sport. He most recently served as an assistant coach at UCLA during the 2023-24 campaign after two seasons coaching sprints and hurdles with the University of Georgia men's and women's track programs.
West was named an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles at Georgia in July 2021, giving West a second stint with the Bulldogs. While in The Peach State, West helped coach Elija Godwin to a national championship at the 2023 NCAA Indoor meet. Godwin also earned a gold and bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, as well as his first SEC individual title in the 400m at the 2023 indoor conference meet with West's guidance.
West, a native of Berkeley, Calif., also spent 2015-17 at Georgia as the recruiting coordinator and sprints assistant and arrived back in Athens during the 2021 summer after overseeing the sprints and hurdles program at Air Force for the 2020-21 academic year. Starting his collegiate athletic career on both the football and track teams at St. Mary's College and then graduating from Kennesaw State University, West has both recruited and coached some of the country's best during stints at several Power 5 programs. Throughout his 17-year career, West has assisted with the coaching of six Olympians, 67 All-Americans, three NCAA champions, 41 conference champions and more than 70 school record-holders at Texas, Florida State, Arizona State, Miami, Texas Tech, UCLA, Air Force and others.
West gained experience at several of the nation's major Power 5 programs. He signed five No. 1-ranked U.S. High School student-athletes and three No. 1-ranked World Junior student-athletes, while also accounting for four Top-10 recruiting classes at Georgia, Texas Tech, Miami and Florida State.
During his stint at Texas, West assisted head coach Edrick Floreal in coaching the men's and women's sprints and hurdles program – a group that included two program record holders (Jonathon Jones in the 400m, Micaiah Harris in the 200m) and 10 All-Americans. He also saw both the men and women place within the top 10 of the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships and the women's team sweep the indoor and outdoor titles at the Big 12 Championships that year. In addition, West also assisted Floreal in coaching the 2019 USA Track and Field 100m champion, Teahna Daniels.
Prior to his time in Austin, West served as an associate head coach at Arizona State University in 2018. During his stop with the Sun Devils, he helped Alethia Marrero run the second-fastest 800m time in ASU history, finish second at the PAC-12 Championships and earn second-team All-America honors. With West on the staff, Arizona State's women finished the year ranked No. 12 in the USTFCCCA Top 25 and had a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
As previously mentioned, West spent two years as the recruiting coordinator and sprints coach for the Bulldogs (2015-17), where he was part of some of the most successful seasons for the women in school history. The Bulldogs finished a program-best second at the both the indoor and outdoor championships in 2017, after finishing third at both meets during his first season. He also assisted in the coaching of breakout sophomore Kendal Williams, who earned first-team All-America honors in the 60m, and oversaw a men's sprint squad that tallied more than one-third of Georgia's point total at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
West also spent time on the coaching staffs at Texas Tech University (2014-15), the University of Miami (2013-14) and Florida State University (2011-13).
During his one season with the Red Raiders, he helped the men finish second at the Big 12 Championships and ninth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while the women finished third at the conference meet and earned a top-20 finish at the national meet. While at Miami, West coached the men's 4x100m relay to its first regional appearance in four years and helped Artie Burns (currently with the Chicago Bears) win the ACC title and claim second-team All-America honors in the 60m hurdles. In his time with the Seminoles, he assisted the men's 4x100m relay team to All-America honors and helped Dentarius Locke and James Harris claim berths to the NCAA Championships.
West got his collegiate coaching start at Kennesaw State in 2007, and was a catalyst for the Owls' dominant run that included four Atlantic Sun Conference titles.
His accomplishments in the college ranks make up just some of the successes of his coaching career. West made a name for himself on the high school and international levels as well, coaching nine Georgia state meet finalists while working as an assistant at Norcross High School. He also sent an athlete to the IAAF World Junior Championships in the 100m hurdles in 2010, while coaching a 100m athlete to the USTF Junior Championships in 2009.
After competing for a pair of teams at St. Mary's College, he transferred to Morehouse College in Atlanta. West received his degree in interdisciplinary studies from Kennesaw State, while coaching the Owls in 2010. He is also certified as a Level I coach with USA Track and Field.
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