MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann announced Thursday that Ben Hannan is returning to the role of head men's golf coach.

He will once again guide the program — replacing Alex Hamilton, who resigned a week ago — after serving as Assistant Athletic Director for Athletics Development for the last year, having led the Jaguars from 2003-16.

"Shortly after news of Coach Hamilton's resignation became public there was a knock on my door from Ben Hannan," Erdmann said.  "The conversations that followed revolved around his sincere and passionate desire to return to the position he vacated one year ago.  Ben expressed he enjoyed and appreciated the administrative world but being the head men's golf coach at the University of South Alabama is where he truly belongs.

"His appointment as head coach is based on his proven competitive and academic achievements, and his tremendous ability as a teacher, recruiter, manager and fundraiser.  I also considered the opportunity to bring a sense of continuity to the program and avoid a situation in which most members of the team would have had three head coaches in three years; the fact is Ben recruited virtually this entire team.

"We will miss Ben in his role as Assistant Athletic Director for Athletics Development but welcome him back with open arms as the leader of our men's golf program."

During Hannan's 13 seasons as head coach, USA appeared in four NCAA Regionals as a team — including the first two at-large berths in program history in 2013 and '14 — while six Jags garnered an individual regional berth; twice the team would fall three strokes or fewer shy of an opportunity to advance to the national championship.  He helped the Jaguars claim the Sun Belt title in 2005, earning league coach-of-the-year honors for the effort, while in 2010 Hannan and the Jags recovered from a four-stroke deficit entering the final round to win the championship.

Individually he aided Gareth Maybin in picking up honorable mention PING All-American accolades in his first season guiding the program, while Michael Garretson was voted the SBC Player of the Year following the 2014 campaign.  In addition to have 13 student-athletes named all-Sun Belt a total of 26 times, Hannan had nine student-athletes receive national academic honors from the Golf Coaches Association of America on 14 occasions.

"I'm excited to get back to it," said Hannan.  "Having a personal relationship with the team, having worked with the department and program the last 14 years, knowing the local and regional golfing community, the transition back is about as seamless as it can be.  It's a very talented team with a strong incoming recruiting class.  I'm looking forward to working with the guys and helping build on the successes the program had last year."

Hannan was a member of three Jaguar Sun Belt championship teams as a student-athlete, and as a junior he was among the top 20 in the league in scoring average after a 15th-place result at the conference tournament helped USA come in second in the final team standings.  A 1994 graduate of South Alabama with a degree in English, he picked up a master's degree in education from the school in 2014.  Hannan and his wife Jill have three children; Sam, Meg and Maxwell.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Birdie Club — the men's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Birdie Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/birdieclub.

—USA—