Derrick Taylor joined the Georgia State Staff as the men's tennis head coach in July 2024.
“I'm very excited to get the team in and hit the ground running,” Taylor said. “Georgia State’s rapid growth, established winning culture and commitment to excellence makes this the perfect fit.”
Taylor brings experience to the Panther family after spending the last two seasons as the head coach of the Wingate men’s and women’s tennis teams. He moved to Wingate after spending six seasons as an assistant coach at Columbus State University.
In his last season with the bulldogs, Taylor led the Wingate men’s tennis program to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, two straight conference championships and won the ITA Region Coach of the Year in 2023. Taylor experienced similar success with the women’s team, leading the Bulldogs to two NCAA tournament appearances in two years, including Wingate’s first-ever trip to the National Quarterfinals.
While at Columbus State, Taylor assisted head coach Evan Isaacs during one of the most successful runs in Cougar history. Taylor, the two-time men’s tennis ITA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year, helped the CSU men win ITA national indoor championships in 2020 and 2021. During Taylor’s tenure, the Cougars earned five Peach Belt Conference titles (three men and two women).He also helped lead the Cougars to the NCAA tournament in 2019 and 2021, when the Columbus State men's tennis finished second in both years.
Taylor earned his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from Columbus State while playing for two years for the tennis team. During his two years playing with Columbus State, he helped to lead the Cougars to their first Peach Belt Conference title in 2014. He played at the College of Coastal Georgia for one season, claiming a top 20 NCAA doubles ranking. Taylor also played at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia for two seasons. During his time there, he helped the team finish top-5 in the NJCAA top five each year.
