Will Hurt, who was a member of two conference championship teams as a player in college, has been named assistant coach for the UCF men’s golf program, head coach Bryce Wallor announced on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Hurt joins the Knights following almost three seasons as assistant coach at James Madison University.
“We’re excited to add Will to our coaching staff,” said Wallor. “He’s a rising star in the coaching profession and he will do an incredible job with our program. Will came highly recommended by current NCAA coaches, and he has been a member of two conference championship teams as a player in college. He does a great job building relationships and he’ll be an incredible asset for our players and our program.”
During his tenure with the Dukes, Hurt helped JMU post the fourth-lowest single-season team scoring average in program history in 2021-22 with a 288.74.
Hurt helped JMU sign Owen Kose, one of the top recruits in program history, who was a top-100 player in the 2022 class and a top-five player in the state of North Carolina. As a freshman, Kose posted a scoring average of 73.03, which was the lowest on the team. His final round score of 66 (-4) was the lowest round of any freshman in JMU history at the time.
Under Hurt’s guidance, Ignacio Montero earned second team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors during the 2021-22 season. Montero led the Dukes in scoring that year, posting a season-long average of 72.23 (+0.33), the fifth-lowest average in program history for a single campaign. He played 17 of his 30 rounds at even par or better, the third-most ever by a JMU golfer, and picked up three top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish at the Dorado Beach Collegiate where he shot 67-72-68 (-9). Having completed his playing career at JMU, Montero stands as one of the strongest golfers in program history. His career scoring average of 72.56 (+0.75) is the third lowest ever at JMU and his 60 rounds of par or better are second.
"I'm really excited to be here," Hurt said. "It was an opportunity that I jumped on as soon as I could. UCF has a great track record of really good teams and great players. I’d be remiss to not thank JMU. They took a chance on a 23-year-old graduate assistant and I’m grateful for everything that they did for me to help get me to this point. My grandfather coached there, and it will always be a special place for me.
“I’m extremely excited to be in Orlando and be a Knight. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity and we’ve got a chance to be really good.”
This past fall, Hurt helped Daniel Cheng win the individual title at the Furman Intercollegiate with a three-round score of 204 (-9). It was the first time a JMU golfer was the individual medalist since 2019. Cheng won his first career Sun Belt Golfer of the Week honor after posting a score of 200 (-16) and claiming the individual championship at the VCU Shootout.
Cheng led the Dukes in scoring (72.55) and rounds of par or better (15) in 2022-23, playing every event for JMU along the way. In just two seasons under Hurt at JMU, Cheng’s name already appears in the record book as his 2022-23 campaign saw him post the 11th-lowest single-season scoring average in program history and his 15 rounds of par or better are the fifth-most ever at JMU. He also currently sports the fourth-lowest career scoring average (72.85) in school history. Cheng was named to the Third Team All-Sun Belt for the 2022-23 season.
James Madison secured four top-five finishes earlier this fall, headlined by tying for first at the VCU Shootout. Additionally, the Dukes were the runner-up at the Virtues Intercollegiate and the Carolina Cup, carding an 853 (-11) at the Virtues Intercollegiate and an 882 (+18) at the Carolina Cup.
Prior to JMU, Hurt was a graduate assistant for the men's and women's golf teams at Berry College, where he was named the 2019-20 Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) D3 Assistant Coach of the Year. In addition to helping the programs rack up seven academic All-America honors, he helped lead the men's team to a No. 12 national ranking and the women's team to No. 3 in all of Division III.
Hurt also has experience as a tournament coordinator and administrator with the Tennessee Golf Association, Tennessee Golf Foundation and has served as a caddy on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Hurt earned an MBA from Berry after completing his undergraduate work at Carson-Newman University in 2019.
Hurt was a member of Carson-Newman’s men’s golf program from 2015-19, as the Eagles won the 2017 and 2018 South Atlantic Conference Championships during his time in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
During his high school career, Hurt served as team captain during his junior and senior seasons. Hurt had numerous accomplishments, including two All-America Junior Golf Tour Wins, and five top-five AAJGT finishes.