University of Tennessee Athletics
Swimming & Diving
Josh Huger
- Title:
- Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- jhuger@utk.edu
Josh Huger joined the Tennessee Swimming & Diving staff in June 2019, and the 2022-23 season marked his fourth on Rocky Top. On June 2, 2023, the rising star earned the title promotion of Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator after excelling in his duties of developing UT's sprinters as well as spearheading the program's recruiting efforts, helping UT land some of the top swimmers both in the country and internationally.
"I'm thrilled to announce the promotion of Josh to Associate Head Coach," Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich said. "This promotion is recognition of the magnitude of his role on the team. Josh's contributions during his time at Tennessee have been critical to our success as a program. He brings great energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to the pool deck every day, and all of our athletes have benefited tremendously from his coaching. As recruiting coordinator, Josh has consistently helped us bring in people who are ideally suited to develop in our environment. This includes some of the best swimmers in the world, and some who are on their way to becoming the best. As the Olympic year is upon us and another cycle lies ahead, we're looking forward to continuing to build our program with Josh taking a critical role in that process."
Since his arrival ahead of the 2019-20 season, the Vols and Lady Vols have thrived in the sprint events and relays with Huger's help, combining to win one national and 13 SEC titles, while bringing home 39 SEC Championships medals and garnering 51 All-America recognitions. Here's a breakdown of the numbers:
"I am extremely thankful for this incredible opportunity," Huger said. "I feel extremely fortunate to be part of a staff that embraces collaboration, innovation and a genuine passion for the sport—and one that is dedicated to supporting our student-athletes both in and out of the pool. I want to extend my deepest appreciation to Matt Kredich for his unwavering support and belief in me, which truly has been instrumental in shaping my journey here at the University of Tennessee. Matt fosters an environment that cultivates growth, excellence and camaraderie that is unmatched in college athletics.
"It is truly a privilege to work with this entire staff and our exceptional group of student-athletes each day, and I cannot wait to see what's to come. Here's to a bright future ahead."
This past season, Huger helped coach sophomore superstar Jordan Crooks to an NCAA Championship, SEC Championship and Short Course World Championship in the 50 free. The George Town, Cayman Islands, native earned SEC Swimmer of the Year honors and was All-America First Team in all seven of his events.
During SECs, Huger's work with Crooks took center stage, as the SEC Swimmer of the Meet and SEC Co-Commissioner's Trophy winner etched his name into history when he clocked a 17.93 time in the 50 free, marking the second-fastest time in NCAA history and making him just the second person ever to swim sub-18 seconds in the event. Crooks won the 100 free, 400 free relay and 200 medley relay at the conference championships in addition to the 50 free. During the 200 medley relay, he posted the fastest 50-yard fly split ever (18.90).
In addition to Crooks, Gui Caribe and Mona McSharry also enjoyed success in the sprint freestyles throughout the 2022-23 campaign. McSharry, known for being one of the top breaststrokers in the world, won silver in the 50 free at the SEC Championships before going on to garner second team All-America honors in the event. Caribe paired with Crooks to make one of the most dynamic duos in the sprints in the NCAA. The freshman won bronze in the 100 free at SECs and finished fourth overall in the 50 free. At NCAAs, he earned All-America recognition in both events, finishing eighth in the 50 free and ninth in the 100 free. He also helped solidify Tennessee's relays that won four medals, including two golds, at SECs and received All-America first team honors.
After helping the Lady Vols bring in the nation's second-ranked recruiting class for the 2021 cycle, which featured seven freshmen ranked inside the top 45 along with three All-American transfers, Tennessee won its second SEC Championship in three years in dominant fashion, totaling 17 medals won, including seven gold. The Lady Vols followed up the performance by posting their fourth consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships, as the group hauled in 28 All-America honors and five podium finishes. Freshman Ellen Walshe was named the 2022 SEC Co-Swimmer of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year for her performances throughout the season. She became the first swimmer in SEC history to win the 100 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM during the same SEC Championships. She won a combined seven medals en route to being named the SEC Swimmer of the Meet and receiving the prestigious Commissioner's Trophy as the top overall points scorer.
On the men's side in 2021-22, the Vols earned their best finish at the SEC Championships since 2001, tying for second overall behind 10 medals won, with one gold, five silver and four bronze. Crooks, then a freshman, was named SwimSwam's Breakout Swimmer of the Year after exploding on to the scene in the freestyle sprints. Crooks won gold at SECs in the 50 free, brought home silver in the 100 free and earned bronze in the 100 fly. He owns the fastest times ever by a freshman in the 50 free (18.53) and 100 free (41.16), both of which are also Tennessee program records. En route to earning seven All-America honors, he received first team honors after finishing tied for third in the 50 free and placing fifth in the 100 free, marking the only freshman in the country to qualify for the A finals in either event.
During the 2020-21 campaign, the Vols earned a second straight top-3 finish at the SEC Championships, while the Lady Vols posted a third consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships. Newcomers Lyubomir Epitropov (200 breast) and Kristen Stege (1650 free) won gold medals at SECs.
Huger's first season on Rocky Top was a special one as the women's team won their first-ever SEC Championship team title in program history and finished the season undefeated for just the third time ever. Erika Brown won the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly SEC titles and added three relay gold medals for good measure, and became the first woman in SEC history to win the same three events in thee consecutive seasons. Brown also set the American Record in the 100 fly (49.38) and became the second woman to ever swim sub 46 seconds in the 100 free (45.83), joining Olympian Simone Manuel. The Lady Vols won a total of 11 medals at the 2020 SEC Championships - eight gold, two silver and one bronze.
On the international stage, Huger has coached Tennessee swimmers who have won medals at the Olympics, World Championships and World Short Course Championships. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Lady Vols enjoyed a program-record six Olympic qualifiers, as Erika Brown (USA), Tess Cieplucha (Canada), Mona McSharry (Ireland), Cherelle Thompson (Trinidad & Tobago), Kira Toussaint (Netherlands) and Ellen Walshe (Ireland) represented their countries at the Summer Games. The men's squad had three Olympians with Lyubomir Epitropov (Bulgaria), Michael Houlie (South Africa) and Joaquin Vargas (Peru) competing in Tokyo.
Brown brought home a pair of medals, winning silver in the 400 medley relay and bronze in the 400 free relay, while With her performance, Brown became the sixth Vol or Lady Vol swimmer to win two medals in a single Olympics, joining Jeremy Linn, Christine Magnuson, Tripp Schwenk, Melvin Stewart and Matt Vogel. Making her second Olympic appearance, Toussaint competed in three different event finals for the Netherlands, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the 400 free relay. McSharry became just the second Irish swimmer ever to compete in an Olympic final, advancing in the 100 breaststroke. She bested her Irish National Record in the 200 breast, touching the wall in 2:25.08.
In his role as the recruiting coordinator, Huger has helped bring in some of the top swimmers from around the world. The Lady Vols' 2021 class was the No. 2 signing class in the country, featuring four top-10 recruits and three All-American transfers. The 2023 class brought in three top-30 recruits, including the No. 4 overall swimmer in Camille Spink and the No. 19 swimmer in Emelie Fast, who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Sweden.
The Vols' 2022 class featured three freshmen swimmers who earned All-America honors in their individual events: Caribe (50 free, 100 free), Martin Espernberger (200 fly) and Nick Simons (100 back, 200 back). Simons, an 18&Under National Champion in the 200 back, came to Rocky Top as the top backstroker and the seventh-ranked swimmer for the 2022 class, according to SwimSwam. The class also included former Division II national runner-up IMer Landon Driggers, who earned a spot on the All-America Second Team in the 400 IM during his first season on Rocky Top.
Prior to his hiring, Huger spent four seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Virginia Tech. During that time, the Hokies posted eight ACC individual titles, three top-25 NCAA team finishes, 16 All-America honors, 756 lifetime best performances, 44 school records and four ACC records.
Huger helped to produce 2016 Olympians, 2017 World University Games qualifiers, 2017 World Championship participants, 13 US Open finalists and multiple top-10 recruiting classes.
Before going to Virginia Tech, Huger was an assistant coach at William & Mary where he served as the sprint coach and travel coordinator. He helped coach the Tribe to its first men’s team title in 2015 and a second place finish in 2014. He led the women to consecutive third-place finishes in 2015 and 2014.
During his time with the Tribe, he coached swimmers to 18 school records, three conference records and three freshman records. His swimmers won 11 CAA titles, two CAA Female Rookie of the Year honors, 13 CAA and 3 ECAC Swimmer of the Week Awards. Huger also mentored 18 NCAA B-Cuts.
Prior to William and Mary, he was an assistant coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There, Huger coached four swimmers to nine All-American honors including a Division II national champion and record-holder. In the PSAC, his swimmers collected 31 school records, 58 NCAA consideration performances and two automatic-qualifying efforts. They also won 11 conference titles and IUP's first relay gold in 13 years.
Huger has spent time as a coach and counselor at Texas' Longhorn Swim Camp and at the Naval Academy Swim Camp, and spent two years as an assistant coach with two Virginia club teams: Virginia Swimming and the Rappahannock Area YMCA.
Huger earned his bachelor's degree in sports management from IUP in 2011 and his master's degree in 2012.
Huger and his wife, Katie, welcomed their first child, Finley, in August of 2018.
"I'm thrilled to announce the promotion of Josh to Associate Head Coach," Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich said. "This promotion is recognition of the magnitude of his role on the team. Josh's contributions during his time at Tennessee have been critical to our success as a program. He brings great energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to the pool deck every day, and all of our athletes have benefited tremendously from his coaching. As recruiting coordinator, Josh has consistently helped us bring in people who are ideally suited to develop in our environment. This includes some of the best swimmers in the world, and some who are on their way to becoming the best. As the Olympic year is upon us and another cycle lies ahead, we're looking forward to continuing to build our program with Josh taking a critical role in that process."
Since his arrival ahead of the 2019-20 season, the Vols and Lady Vols have thrived in the sprint events and relays with Huger's help, combining to win one national and 13 SEC titles, while bringing home 39 SEC Championships medals and garnering 51 All-America recognitions. Here's a breakdown of the numbers:
- SEC Championships
- Total: 13 (8 women, 5 men)
- Individual: 7 (4 women, 3 men)
- Relay: 6 (4 women, 2 men)
- SEC Medals
- Total: 39 (13 Gold, 16 Silver, 10 Bronze)
- Individual: 15 (7 Gold, 4 Silver, 4 Bronze)
- Relay: 24 (6 Gold, 12 Silver, 6 Bronze)
- All-Americans
- Total: 51 (34 First Team, 17 Second Team)
- Individual: 23 (18 First Team, 5 Second Team)
- Relay: 28 (16 First Team, 12 Second Team)
"I am extremely thankful for this incredible opportunity," Huger said. "I feel extremely fortunate to be part of a staff that embraces collaboration, innovation and a genuine passion for the sport—and one that is dedicated to supporting our student-athletes both in and out of the pool. I want to extend my deepest appreciation to Matt Kredich for his unwavering support and belief in me, which truly has been instrumental in shaping my journey here at the University of Tennessee. Matt fosters an environment that cultivates growth, excellence and camaraderie that is unmatched in college athletics.
"It is truly a privilege to work with this entire staff and our exceptional group of student-athletes each day, and I cannot wait to see what's to come. Here's to a bright future ahead."
This past season, Huger helped coach sophomore superstar Jordan Crooks to an NCAA Championship, SEC Championship and Short Course World Championship in the 50 free. The George Town, Cayman Islands, native earned SEC Swimmer of the Year honors and was All-America First Team in all seven of his events.
During SECs, Huger's work with Crooks took center stage, as the SEC Swimmer of the Meet and SEC Co-Commissioner's Trophy winner etched his name into history when he clocked a 17.93 time in the 50 free, marking the second-fastest time in NCAA history and making him just the second person ever to swim sub-18 seconds in the event. Crooks won the 100 free, 400 free relay and 200 medley relay at the conference championships in addition to the 50 free. During the 200 medley relay, he posted the fastest 50-yard fly split ever (18.90).
In addition to Crooks, Gui Caribe and Mona McSharry also enjoyed success in the sprint freestyles throughout the 2022-23 campaign. McSharry, known for being one of the top breaststrokers in the world, won silver in the 50 free at the SEC Championships before going on to garner second team All-America honors in the event. Caribe paired with Crooks to make one of the most dynamic duos in the sprints in the NCAA. The freshman won bronze in the 100 free at SECs and finished fourth overall in the 50 free. At NCAAs, he earned All-America recognition in both events, finishing eighth in the 50 free and ninth in the 100 free. He also helped solidify Tennessee's relays that won four medals, including two golds, at SECs and received All-America first team honors.
After helping the Lady Vols bring in the nation's second-ranked recruiting class for the 2021 cycle, which featured seven freshmen ranked inside the top 45 along with three All-American transfers, Tennessee won its second SEC Championship in three years in dominant fashion, totaling 17 medals won, including seven gold. The Lady Vols followed up the performance by posting their fourth consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships, as the group hauled in 28 All-America honors and five podium finishes. Freshman Ellen Walshe was named the 2022 SEC Co-Swimmer of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year for her performances throughout the season. She became the first swimmer in SEC history to win the 100 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM during the same SEC Championships. She won a combined seven medals en route to being named the SEC Swimmer of the Meet and receiving the prestigious Commissioner's Trophy as the top overall points scorer.
On the men's side in 2021-22, the Vols earned their best finish at the SEC Championships since 2001, tying for second overall behind 10 medals won, with one gold, five silver and four bronze. Crooks, then a freshman, was named SwimSwam's Breakout Swimmer of the Year after exploding on to the scene in the freestyle sprints. Crooks won gold at SECs in the 50 free, brought home silver in the 100 free and earned bronze in the 100 fly. He owns the fastest times ever by a freshman in the 50 free (18.53) and 100 free (41.16), both of which are also Tennessee program records. En route to earning seven All-America honors, he received first team honors after finishing tied for third in the 50 free and placing fifth in the 100 free, marking the only freshman in the country to qualify for the A finals in either event.
During the 2020-21 campaign, the Vols earned a second straight top-3 finish at the SEC Championships, while the Lady Vols posted a third consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships. Newcomers Lyubomir Epitropov (200 breast) and Kristen Stege (1650 free) won gold medals at SECs.
Huger's first season on Rocky Top was a special one as the women's team won their first-ever SEC Championship team title in program history and finished the season undefeated for just the third time ever. Erika Brown won the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly SEC titles and added three relay gold medals for good measure, and became the first woman in SEC history to win the same three events in thee consecutive seasons. Brown also set the American Record in the 100 fly (49.38) and became the second woman to ever swim sub 46 seconds in the 100 free (45.83), joining Olympian Simone Manuel. The Lady Vols won a total of 11 medals at the 2020 SEC Championships - eight gold, two silver and one bronze.
On the international stage, Huger has coached Tennessee swimmers who have won medals at the Olympics, World Championships and World Short Course Championships. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Lady Vols enjoyed a program-record six Olympic qualifiers, as Erika Brown (USA), Tess Cieplucha (Canada), Mona McSharry (Ireland), Cherelle Thompson (Trinidad & Tobago), Kira Toussaint (Netherlands) and Ellen Walshe (Ireland) represented their countries at the Summer Games. The men's squad had three Olympians with Lyubomir Epitropov (Bulgaria), Michael Houlie (South Africa) and Joaquin Vargas (Peru) competing in Tokyo.
Brown brought home a pair of medals, winning silver in the 400 medley relay and bronze in the 400 free relay, while With her performance, Brown became the sixth Vol or Lady Vol swimmer to win two medals in a single Olympics, joining Jeremy Linn, Christine Magnuson, Tripp Schwenk, Melvin Stewart and Matt Vogel. Making her second Olympic appearance, Toussaint competed in three different event finals for the Netherlands, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the 400 free relay. McSharry became just the second Irish swimmer ever to compete in an Olympic final, advancing in the 100 breaststroke. She bested her Irish National Record in the 200 breast, touching the wall in 2:25.08.
In his role as the recruiting coordinator, Huger has helped bring in some of the top swimmers from around the world. The Lady Vols' 2021 class was the No. 2 signing class in the country, featuring four top-10 recruits and three All-American transfers. The 2023 class brought in three top-30 recruits, including the No. 4 overall swimmer in Camille Spink and the No. 19 swimmer in Emelie Fast, who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Sweden.
The Vols' 2022 class featured three freshmen swimmers who earned All-America honors in their individual events: Caribe (50 free, 100 free), Martin Espernberger (200 fly) and Nick Simons (100 back, 200 back). Simons, an 18&Under National Champion in the 200 back, came to Rocky Top as the top backstroker and the seventh-ranked swimmer for the 2022 class, according to SwimSwam. The class also included former Division II national runner-up IMer Landon Driggers, who earned a spot on the All-America Second Team in the 400 IM during his first season on Rocky Top.
Prior to his hiring, Huger spent four seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Virginia Tech. During that time, the Hokies posted eight ACC individual titles, three top-25 NCAA team finishes, 16 All-America honors, 756 lifetime best performances, 44 school records and four ACC records.
Huger helped to produce 2016 Olympians, 2017 World University Games qualifiers, 2017 World Championship participants, 13 US Open finalists and multiple top-10 recruiting classes.
Before going to Virginia Tech, Huger was an assistant coach at William & Mary where he served as the sprint coach and travel coordinator. He helped coach the Tribe to its first men’s team title in 2015 and a second place finish in 2014. He led the women to consecutive third-place finishes in 2015 and 2014.
During his time with the Tribe, he coached swimmers to 18 school records, three conference records and three freshman records. His swimmers won 11 CAA titles, two CAA Female Rookie of the Year honors, 13 CAA and 3 ECAC Swimmer of the Week Awards. Huger also mentored 18 NCAA B-Cuts.
Prior to William and Mary, he was an assistant coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There, Huger coached four swimmers to nine All-American honors including a Division II national champion and record-holder. In the PSAC, his swimmers collected 31 school records, 58 NCAA consideration performances and two automatic-qualifying efforts. They also won 11 conference titles and IUP's first relay gold in 13 years.
Huger has spent time as a coach and counselor at Texas' Longhorn Swim Camp and at the Naval Academy Swim Camp, and spent two years as an assistant coach with two Virginia club teams: Virginia Swimming and the Rappahannock Area YMCA.
Huger earned his bachelor's degree in sports management from IUP in 2011 and his master's degree in 2012.
Huger and his wife, Katie, welcomed their first child, Finley, in August of 2018.
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