BATON ROUGE, La – Robert Kelly of Chapel Hill, N.C., will make his way to Baton Rouge to become the new assistant coach of the LSU Men’s Tennis team, head coach Danny Bryan announced Tuesday.
“Robert is a massive addition to our staff,” said coach Bryan. “His experience as a three-time All-American and team captain at North Carolina, where he was part of a National Indoor Championship team, will be a tremendous resource for our players.
We’re grateful to have one of the top young coaches in college tennis joining our program and are excited about the impact he will have.”
Hired by his alma mater in July of 2023, Kelly brings in three years of Division I coaching experience at North Carolina. Serving as the assistant coach, Kelly helped the Tar Heels reach the NCAA Tournament in every season on staff. Upon his return, he guided the squad to a 19-9 record along with the program’s ninth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in the 2024 campaign. Over his next two years, the team secured 29 victories while competing in the competitive Atlantic Coast Conference, culminating in a run to the ACC Championship quarterfinals in 2026.
In addition to his experience as a coach, Kelly is one of the program’s most decorated players of recent memory. Suiting up for the Tar Heels from 2014 to 2018, he is a three-time ITA Doubles All-American (2016-18), becoming only the fourth player in North Carolina history to earn All-America honors in three different seasons. During his sophomore year, Kelly and his doubles partner emerged as the school’s first duo since 2006 to reach the No. 1 spot in the nation. His junior campaign featured a run to the finals in the doubles edition of the ITA Men’s All-America Championship, capping off his season ranked No. 4 in doubles and No. 84 in singles by the ITA. As a senior, he returned to the top of the doubles rankings, regaining the No. 1 position alongside a new partner. Kelly also reached a career-high ITA singles ranking of No. 47.
Throughout his collegiate career, Kelly posted a 111-38 singles record, achieving about a 75% win rate. Additionally, in doubles, he reached about a 79% win rate, going 103-27 over his four years with the Tar Heels.
His contribution to the program extended beyond his individual accolades. Most notably, he helped UNC win its first national title in program history at the 2016 ITA National Indoor Team Championships. Furthermore, he contributed to ITA Top-11 end-of-season finishes in all four of his years as a player, including No. 3 in 2016 and No. 5 in 2017.
With high-level experience as a coach and player in both the collegiate and professional fields, Kelly finds a new home in Baton Rouge with the ambition to help lead the Tigers in one of the college tennis’s premier conferences.
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