Randall Knox is in his first season as an assistant tennis coach at Kennesaw State in 2022-23. Knox joins KSU after spending the 2021-22 season as the head women's tennis coach at Missouri State. In his year of leading the Bears, senior Mara Presot was named to the MVC Honor Roll Team.
"I am beyond excited to be working alongside Coach Emery here at KSU," Knox said. "When we first spoke about the position, I felt his energy and vision for the program, and it was exactly what I wanted to be part of. I am looking forward to returning to the Atlanta area where I spent so many years coaching. The future is bright here at KSU and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of one of the upcoming Division I programs in the country."
Prior to Missouri State, Knox served as the head coach for both the men's and women's programs at Blue Mountain College from 2019-2021.
During his tenure at Blue Mountain, he led the men's team to its first-ever national ranking, taking the team all the way to 16th in the nation before finishing 20th in the final poll. He also led the women to the conference semifinals for the first time in school history and coached Steffi McDonald to a No. 41 individual national ranking. He also coached Annabella Natalini and Chloe Webster to all-conference honors. On the men's side, Knox coached a decorated player in Bernardo Tajada to First-Team All-American honors and a 17th national ranking in singles play. Knox was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2021.
Prior to Blue Mountain College, he served as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Lindsey Wilson College in 2019, where he took both teams to the NAIA Nationals. That year, the women's program finished No. 11 in the nation while the men posted a final ranking of 13th.
Knox spent three years at Georgia Gwinnett College as the assistant men's and women's tennis coach from 2016 to 2019 where he guided the men's and women's team to four NAIA national championships. The Grizzlies combined to post an 84-2 record during his time there. He recruited and coached standout Madeline Bosnjak to a No. 1 individual NAIA ranking and MVP award at the 2018 national tournament. Knox also coached Kevin Konfederak to a No. 1 singles and doubles ranking in the conference.
He provides non-collegiate coaching experience to his role as well. In 2014, he worked as a head tennis professional at the YMCA of Buckhead in Atlanta. He also coached several local teams to city championships through a junior tennis academy.
Knox has held multiple other coaching roles as well, including assistant coach roles at Gonzaga (2013-14), Georgia State (2010-11), and UAB (2010). He got his start as the assistant men's coach/volunteer coach at Samford in 2004.
In his own career, Knox was a three-time Alabama state high school champion representing Athens High School where he was a top-10 junior in the state.
Knox played collegiately at Northwest-Shoals Community College, helping lead his team to a No. 4 finish in the country before being named a second team all-American. He then played at the University of Memphis for one year before joining the University of Alabama as a Team Manager in 1999. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration in May 2000.
