Rob Collins Promoted to Associate Head Coach for Club Relations and Athlete Development at Tennessee
Thanks to his significant impact on the program and Tennessee’s recruiting efforts, Rob Collins has been promoted to Associate Head Coach for Club Relations and Athlete Development for the Tennessee swimming and diving program.
“I’m excited to announce Rob Collins’ promotion to Associate Head Coach for Club Relations and Athlete Development,” said head coach Matt Kredich. “This title recognizes the tremendous impact he has had on the growth and success of Tennessee Swimming & Diving. Rob has an exceptional ability to connect with each athlete on our team—to understand who they are today, where they’ve come from, and what they need to continue to grow towards being their best. That perspective has been instrumental in creating an environment where athletes continue to develop throughout their time at Tennessee.
“Just as importantly, Rob has built outstanding relationships with club coaches across the country through trust, authenticity, and genuine partnership. Those relationships have helped introduce many exceptional student-athletes to Tennessee and have strengthened our program for years to come. I couldn’t be more excited to recognize Rob with this well-deserved promotion, and I look forward to his continued leadership as we build on the success of our program.”
Since joining Tennessee prior to the 2021-22 season, Collins has helped lead the Vols and Lady Vols to sustained success. Collins helped the Lady Vols capture the 2022 SEC championship, the program’s second conference title. The programs have won four NCAA championships, 46 SEC Championships medals, and garnered 162 All-American honors. Below is a breakdown of the numbers over the last five seasons:
- NCAA Championships
- Total: 4 (Four men’s national championships)
- SEC Championships
- Total: 46 (30 women, 16 men)
- Individual: 34 (23 women, 11 men)
- Relay: 12 (7 women, 5 men)
- SEC Medals
- Total: 142 (46 Gold, 56 Silver, 40 Bronze)
- Individual: 99 (34 Gold, 33 Silver, 32 Bronze)
- Relay: 43 (12 Gold, 23 Silver, 8 Bronze)
- All-Americans
- Total: 162 (97 First Team, 65 Second Team)
- Individual: 118 (67 First Team, 51 Second Team)
- Relay: 44 (30 First Team, 14 Second Team)
Collins has played a key role in the development of numerous All-America-caliber swimmers during his time at Tennessee. Student-athletes have set numerous school records and top-10 program times during his tenure. The Vols and Lady Vols have earned five combined top five finishes at NCAAs. The Vols and Lady Vols have each posted consecutive top-five NCAA finishes, making Tennessee one of only two programs in the nation to accomplish the feat on both the men’s and women’s sides.
“I am incredibly grateful for the continued opportunity to serve this program,” Collins said. “Being at Tennessee has been a dream and has been the most incredible experience of my career and for my family. I can’t thank Matt enough and am so grateful to continuing working for one of the most respected coaches in swimming history. Here’s to many more seasons of learning, serving our student-athletes, celebrating successes together, and making memories with this amazing team. I’m honored to continue being a small part of something so special. Go Vols!”
This past season, Collins coached both the men’s and women’s teams to top three finishes at the SEC Championships. The Lady Vols won eight gold medals at the 2026 championships, the most for the team since the 2020 championships. Leading the way was Camille Spink, who continued her dominance in the sprint free with her third-straight win in the 50 and 100 Free, while capturing the title in the 200 Free for the second consecutive year. Jillian Crooks and Ella Jansen each took their place atop the podium, the first conference individual gold medal for the pair of sophomore swimmers.
Before joining the program in 2021, Collins spent four years as the CEO and head coach for the highly regarded Sierra Marlins Swim Team in Folsom, California. The club has produced multiple Olympians throughout the years and during Collins’s tenure, earned recognition through USA Swimming’s National Club Excellence Program. While leading the Sierra Marlins, Collins also earned the 2020 SwimSwam U.S. Club Coach of the Year honorable mention and was named the 2019 Sierra Nevada Swimming Senior Coach of the Year. He coached the men’s team to a championship at the 2019 Winter Junior Nationals West.
In his role as Associate Head Coach for Club Relations, Collins will act as the primary liaison between the program and clubs around the country. His extensive experience in club swimming will play an integral role in Tennessee’s recruiting efforts.
The above press release was provided to Swimming World by the University of Tennessee.
