Florida hires Adam Steinberg to replace Bryan Shelton as next men’s tennis coach for Gators

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The Florida Gators on Friday announced that Adam Steinberg has been hired to replaced Ben Shelton as the athletic program’s next men’s tennis coach. Steinberg just completed his ninth season in the same role with the Michigan Wolverines.

“It’s a privilege to be the new leader of the Florida men’s tennis program,” Steinberg said in a release. “The University of Florida is rich with tradition and is the ultimate combination of academics and athletics. I’m beyond thrilled to get started in the Orange & Blue and continuing the Gators excellence on and off the court.”

Michigan men’s tennis is coming off its first consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. Its 27-5 record in 2023 marked the program’s second-most wins in a single season; that record included a 13-match winning streak, the longest for the Wolverines since 1988. Michigan ended the season as the No. 5 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, ultimately falling to No. 2 TCU in the Elite Eight.

The 2021 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Steinberg is a seven-time WCC Coach of the Year and member of the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame after having coached there from 2002-14. He led the Waves to the 2006 national championship making Pepperdine the last non-Power Five program to win the national title in men’s tennis.

Steinberg has prior experience at Alabama (1998-02) and St. John’s (1991-15). In total, he has won 12 conference tournament championships and three regular-season conference titles, including one of each with the Wolverines.

“We are thrilled to welcome Adam and his family to Gator Nation,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “Adam is a proven winner and his track record speaks for itself. His ability to recruit, develop and compete for championships will position our men’s tennis program for success for years to come.”

Steinberg succeeds Bryan Shelton, who spent the last 11 years leading Florida. Shelton took the Gators to their first national championship in 2021, completing a complete overhaul of the program.

Florida men’s tennis has earned five Elite Eight berths in the last six completed seasons. It qualified for the NCAA Tournament in all 10 of Shelton’s campaigns, won three SEC regular-season titles (2019, 2021-22) and two SEC Tournament championships (2016, 2022) with numerous individual awards and honors finding his players. Among those individual successes were consecutive NCAA Singles Champions with his son, Ben Shelton (2022), and Sam Riffice (2021) becoming the first (different) players from the same program to win back-to-back men’s titles since 2004-05 and just the fourth duo to achieve such a feat in four decades.

Bryan Shelton, 57, chose to resign in order to coach his son and spend more time with his family. Ben Shelton, 20, appears on pace to become one of the best men’s tennis players in the world.