⛳ Kansas Men’s Golf Coach Jamie Bermel Inks New Five-Year Deal
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff announced Wednesday that Men’s Golf Coach Jamie Bermel has signed a new five-year contract extension that will keep him with the Jayhawks through the 2026-27 season.
“We are thrilled to sign Jamie to a new contract which reinforces our commitment to elevating our men’s golf program, while also rewarding him for his tremendous work throughout his tenure at KU,” said Director of Athletics Travis Goff. “Along with Associate Head Coach Chris Wilson, Jamie has transformed the Kansas Men’s Golf into one of the top programs in the country featuring young men that that excel on the course, in the community and in the classroom. Jamie’s commitment to developing his student-athletes in every phase of life is a cornerstone of the program and we look forward to supporting their pursuit of championships in the years ahead.”
In 10 seasons at Kansas, Bermel has led the Jayhawks to unprecedented success and currently has his team ranked in the Top 20 nationally in multiple polls. Bermel’s squad has already won four tournaments this season and hasn’t finished outside the Top 5 in any of its seven stroke play events this season.
“I am very excited and grateful to be signing this new contract,” said Bermel. “I want to thank Travis Goff, Dan Beckler and all athletic department staff who helped get this done. We are experiencing exciting times with men’s golf, but the job is not complete. When I took this position 10 years ago, the goal was to compete at the highest level, graduate our student-athletes and provide them a first-class experience at KU. That will remain the focus moving forward as we continue building this program.
“I am so thankful to Associate Head Coach Chris Wilson, who has been working with me for seven years. I also want to thank the student-athletes who have been a part of this program and bought into our system, along with the alumni and donors, who continue to support through Jayhawk Golf Partners. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!”
The Jayhawks have already captured team titles this season at the Gopher Invitational, the Windon Memorial Classic, the Quail Valley Collegiate and the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic. Kansas is currently ranked No. 15 in the Bushnell/Golfweek D1 Coaches Poll, No. 16 in Golfstat and No. 19 in the Golfweek Sagarin Collegiate Rankings.
The team’s success this season is a continuation of the building that has taken place under Bermel’s leadership. The Keota, Iowa native took over the Jayhawks in 2012 with the program not having qualified for an NCAA Regional since 2007. Bermel has now led the program to five-straight NCAA Regional appearances and the Jayhawks are on track for a sixth this season. Kansas was also on pace to qualify in 2020 when the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the start of the 2015-16 season when the postseason streak began, Bermel’s squads have won 13 tournament titles and have had 49 top-five finishes. In addition, the Jayhawks have had nine Srixon/Cleveland Golf GCAA All-American Scholars during that span, including current student-athletes Ben Sigel and Luke Kluver.
Kluver has had a breakout season under Bermel’s tutelage this year. The sophomore from Norfolk, Nebraska is ranked No. 21 in the Golfstat individual rankings and was named the Big 12 Golfer of the Month in September after winning the Gopher Invitational. Kluver’s current scoring average is 69.95, which is on pace to break the program record of 70.85, set by another Bermel pupil, Chase Hanna in 2016-17.
Bermel and the Jayhawks will return to the course March 27 at the Seahawk Intercollegiate in Wilmington, N.C.
