Tyler Schmutz was named has been named head coach of the VCU Golf program on July 18, 2024.
“We are excited to welcome Tyler home to the Commonwealth to lead our golf program,” said VCU Vice President and Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin. “His coaching experience at the highest level and head coaching tenure combined with his experience in professional golf made him an excellent fit for us. He has a track record of developing golfers at the highest level for NCAA championship-caliber success, and we fully expect him to continue the upward trajectory of our nationally-elite golf program.”
Schmutz assumed the reigns at VCU following two standout seasons as assistant coach at Big Ten stalwart Indiana, where he helped the Hoosiers to a pair of NCAA Regional berths and the program’s best conference championship finish in a decade, among other accolades.
“I'd like to thank Ed McLaughlin, Noah Strebler and the rest of the search committee for giving me the opportunity to be the next head men's golf coach at VCU. I could not be more excited to get to work and continue to build upon the tradition of success that the program has had. I'd like to thank the head coaches I have been fortunate to work with in my career, and I look forward to taking what I've learned forward in leading the Rams. Our program will compete hard and excel on the golf course and in the classroom.,” Schmutz said.
In Schmutz’s first season in Bloomington in 2022-23, Indiana placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Auburn Regional. Last season, the Hoosiers captured two tournament victories and placed in the top three on five occasions on the way to another NCAA Regional appearance.
During his Indiana tenure, two Hoosiers earned All-Big Ten Conference honors, including Drew Salyers, who also received a PING All-America Honorable Mention nod in 2023.
Prior to Indiana, Schmutz spent the 2021-22 campaign at Maryland. The Terrapins placed third in the Big Ten that season, just two strokes behind league champion Illinois.
From 2019-21, Schmutz served as head coach at Division III Wabash College, where he steered the Little Giants to program records for team scoring average and single-round team scoring, while two players garnered All-Conference honors.
Schmutz also served as an assistant coach at Division II Regis University from 2017-19, and was previously a Director of Client Management at GSE Worldwide, where he managed logistics for players on the PGA and Korn Ferry tours.
A 2014 graduate of Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., Schmutz added a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Regis in 2019. As a player, Schmutz earned Cleveland Golf Srixon Scholar All-America honors in 2013, as well as a PING All-Central Region selection in 2011 at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill.
