SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Head coach Jack Kennedy, head coach Sara Doell and the University of San Francisco men's and women's golf programs announced today that Jalen Griffin, an assistant coach for the two programs, has been promoted into the role of Associate Head Coach.
 
"We are excited to give Jalen this promotion," said Kennedy. "He is more than deserving. Our program would not have the success we have had over the past six years without Jalen. His relationships with players on and off the course make players feel like they have the support to succeed. He has helped bring in a roster of talented recruits across the world. He does so many more things that no one will ever know about or see. Those little, behind the scenes things are so important to our program. Jalen will be a great head coach very soon. We are lucky to have him!"
 
After an illustrious playing career at USF, which included appearing in 35 total tournaments, All-WCC honors and a NCAA Regional team appearance his senior year, Griffin has continued to help the San Francisco golf programs excel as the Dons have experienced unprecedented success since his arrival as a volunteer assistant coach in Aug. 2019.
 
"It's an honor to step up into this role for a program that I have so much passion for," said Griffin. "It's been my goal to put USF Golf on the national map since 2014 and to see it come to fruition these last few years has been so rewarding. Along with Coach Kennedy and Coach Doell, we'll continue to instill a strong team culture, work hard each day to get our players on a path to success, and compete at the highest level." 
 
Despite the COVID-shortened year in 2019-20, Griffin helped the Dons to three top three finishes as a team, including claiming the team title at the Orange County Collegiate Classic. In the spring of 2021, the green and gold won a historic 4 of out 6 regular season tournaments as a team and finished second overall at NCAA Regionals. Ultimately, the Dons were ranked 19th in the country and would head to the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history. The following year (2021-22), the program advanced to NCAA Regionals for the second straight year. 
 
Most recently (2022-2023), Griffin added a full-time role with the women's program to his plate as he helped USF earn team titles at the Howard/USF Intercollegiate (men) and The Valley Invitational (women). Notably, the men's program also brought in five new student-athletes to the Hilltop as these newcomers would hit their stride in the spring with three straight top five finishes, qualify for NCAA Regionals for the third consecutive year and advance to the NCAA Championships for the second time in three years.
 
"Jalen has been an amazing addition to our staff," said Doell. "His natural leadership and positive attitude are infectious throughout our program and has helped our student-athletes elevate their skillset to the next level. We are extremely grateful to have his talents around and are excited to get back to it this fall for another strong season in the WCC."
 
Overall, USF has secured nine team wins and six individual medalists during Griffin's tenure. Additionally, eleven student-athletes have also earned All-WCC honors, two have earned PING All-Region and two have been named All-Americans. 
 
For updates and more information on the University of San Francisco men's golf program, please follow the Dons @USFDonsMensGolf on Twitter, @USFDonsGolf on Instagram and @USFDonsMensGolf on Facebook.