USC hires Jeremy Kipp as head swim coach


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Jeremy Kipp, USC’s new swimming and diving head coach, worked as an assistant at USC from 2008 to 2015. (Photo courtesy of USC Sports Information)

Jeremy Kipp, a former head coach at Boise State and Northwestern and previously an assistant at USC, is taking over as the newest head coach of the USC men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, athletic director Mike Bohn announced Tuesday. 

Kipp served as the head coach at Northwestern the past two seasons, leading the Wildcats’ men’s team to the No. 22 national ranking in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season as well as their highest finish — fifth place — in the Big Ten since 2007. He helped the team score 665 points this year, the most in the school’s history, while producing seven All-Americans. Kipp led the women’s team to the No. 25 national ranking, fourth place in the Big Ten — the team’s best since 2002 — and 907.5 points, also a program record.

Kipp was the women’s head coach at Boise State from 2016 to 2018, winning the Mountain West Conference Women’s Coach of the Year award each year and taking home the conference championship in 2017 and 2018. 

“We are delighted to welcome Jeremy Kipp back to the Trojan Family,” Bohn said in a press release. “He was highly regarded during his time at USC as an assistant, then he quickly built a strong program at Boise State and made a remarkable and immediate impact at Northwestern. Recognized throughout the swimming profession as a rising star, he possesses a unique talent to lead, empower and relate to today’s student-athlete, which is consistent with our student-athlete centric leadership model.”

Kipp served as an assistant at USC from 2008 to 2015, including the last five years working as the head assistant. Kipp helped lead USC’s recruiting program and worked primarily with the team’s sprinters.

The men’s and women’s team earned a top-eight NCAA finish in each of Kipp’s last five years, churning out 107 All-Americans and 38 individual champions during his eight years as an assistant. USC also brought in top-five recruiting classes for seven consecutive years.

“There is no tradition like that of the USC swimming and diving program, one that is near and dear to my heart,” Kipp said in the same press release. “I am honored and committed to leading USC to the highest level in and out of the pool. To our current Trojan swimmers and divers, I look forward to our journey together in consistently becoming one of the nation’s top programs.”

Kipp also spent eight seasons with the UC Santa Barbara men’s and women’s teams, coached the Austria national team at the 2009 European Championships and has mentored 25 Olympic qualifiers who have won a combined 17 medals.

Kipp’s hire comes four months after Dave Salo announced the 2020 season would be his final of 14 as USC’s head coach. The USC women’s team ranked No. 8 nationally in the shortened 2020 season while the men finished No. 21. 

USC’s men’s swim and dive program has won nine NCAA championships and the women have won one.

“Jeremy is the right person to elevate our historically successful men’s and women’s swimming programs,” Bohn said. “We are thrilled that he is our new head coach.”