Florida Gators

Entering his 12th season as head coach of the Florida Gators in 2025-26, J.C. Deacon looks to expand on the success of his first ten seasons with the Orange and Blue.

Deacon's Gators continued their success once again in the 2024-25 campaign and was named the Southeast Region Coach of the Year as Florida was both a National Championship Semifinalist and SEC Champions, all for the second time in three seasons. UF also won the NCAA Bremerton Regional to conclude a five win campaign along with a pair of medalist honors from Ian Gilligan (6th collegiate win) and Luke Poulter (first collegiate win). 

Florida won two of the three postseason tournaments (SEC Championship & NCAA Regional) as the last time UF won both a team conference and regional title in the same season was 2011. It was also the fourth time both have been done in a season in program history - 1989 & 1992.

The victory at the regional was second under Deacon with the first being in 2018 for a total five team titles this season. It also marked the 32nd tournament title under him in 11 seasons. This was the third straight season of four-plus wins under Deacon and the seventh season of multiple wins, including the last five consecutive.

In the last four years, Florida has won the NCAA National Team Championship, NCAA Individual Championship, four NCAA Championships appearances, two NCAA Championship Semifinal Appearances, NCAA Regional Team Championship, two SEC Team Championships, three SEC Final Appearances, SEC Individual Championship, 19 tournament titles and 13 individual titles. 

In the final round of stroke play at the national championship, Florida tied for the lowest-round (-8) of the day and second-lowest of the tournament with top-seeded Arizona State (-14). The final round produced a 72-hole score of 9-under 1143, its lowest score by par at the National Championships since 26-under in 2001, when Florida won the team title. The last time UF shot 9-under in a round at nationals was round four in 2006. Both Matthew Kress (T9, -3) and Gilligan (T13, -2) each earned NCAA All-Tournament Team and All-American status with their performances.  

The Gators earned a spot in match play at nationals for the second time in three seasons and defeated No. 6 Texas 3-2 in the quarterfinals after rallying down 2-0 and winning the final three matches. It was Florida's fourth win in championship match play. 

Florida reached SEC Match Play Finals for the third time overall and in the last four years (2022 & 2023) by defeating the No. 6 ranked Oklahoma Sooners 3-2 in the quarterfinals and the No. 1 seed, No. 2 ranked and the reigning SEC and National Champion Auburn Tigers, 3.5-1.5 in the semifinals. The Gators defeated Texas A&M 4-1 in the finals for the program's 17th conference title, ranking No. 2 among men's golf programs. It was also the 10th match play win in the SEC Championship, ranking second-most in the conference behind Vanderbilt's 13. 

At the NCAA Bremerton Regional, Florida had a final round of 3-under 285 for a 54-hole score of 28-under 836 after a 16-under round two, which was the sixth lowest round by par and lowest at a regional since a 17-under final round in 2018. The final tournament score by par of 28-under is tied for eighth lowest all-time and third-lowest at an NCAA Regional in program history. Florida's 28-under par was the third-lowest in regional play this year - Auburn 32-under and Florida State 29-under, who both played on their home course.

Defending home turf for the sixth consecutive year, UF swept the 48th Gators Invitational behind Gilligan's sixth collegiate win, including defeating National Champion Oklahoma State. The victory was the 31st overall and 16th sweep (team and individual title) at the home tournament as Florida had an all-underclassmen lineup competing.  

The second individual title was captured by redshirt-sophomore Luke Poulter at the Schenkel Invitational. He led all three rounds and became the sixth Gator to win the tournament,  joining Andy Bean, Matt Every, Phil Hancock, Steve Scott and Bank Vongvanij.

Heading into postseason play, the Orange and Blue defended its team title at the Calusa Cup behind a final round of 17-under, tied for third all-time in program history by par. The win marked the third consecutive year UF has won the final regular season event (2024 Calusa Cup & 2023 Augusta Hakskins Award Invite). The final round of 271 tied the lowest round by score this season as the -17 was the season-low score by par in a round. Also the final team score of 17-under also set a new tournament record for the Calusa Cup.

Following Florida’s SEC and National Championship titles, the Gators featured a new look lineup while three First-Team All-Americans - Fred Biondi (NCAA Individual Champion), Ricky Castillo and Yuxin Lin - all departed. Returning from the championship teams was John DuBois and Matthew Kress.

After a shaky fall, the Gators responded with five wins in the spring to total six on the season. Florida recorded consecutive seasons with six wins for the first time since 1973-74 and 1974-75. UF ended the spring portion of the season with five tournament wins and a 4th place finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, that featured Ian Gilligan winning medalist honors and earning an exemption into the PGA Tour’s 2024 Shriners Open in October.

The Orange and Blue have now claimed 27 team titles under head coach J.C. Deacon in 10 seasons. It marked the seventh season under Deacon UF has won multiple tournaments in a year and fourth of three-plus. Six tournament wins in a season is tied for the most under Deacon, which came last season and included an SEC and National Championship.

The new look Gators left their mark in the postseason. At the SEC Championship, UF was led by true fresh- man Jack Turner, who posted a team-best T2 finish in his first conference tournament start. The performance ties the second-best finish by a Gator true freshman at the SEC Championship with Camilo Villegas, who placed T2 in 2001. Vanderbilt and Florida meet for the third straight season in match play at SECs with the Commodores edging out the Gators 3-2 in extra holes in the quarterfinals.

Moving to NCAA Regional play in West Lafayette, Florida entered round three in the final advancing spot by four-shot. The Gators shot a final round of 2-under to take 3rd and make the cut by 12 strokes. Through the first hour-and-half in the final rounds, teams battled rainy and cold conditions. Florida put together great start and setup for success when the rain stopped, with a combined 1-under on the first hole (#10) and was even-par on counting scores through the first five holes in the rain. Florida made a charge in the final nine holes after finding itself 1-over at the turn and only a four-shot advantage over Indiana, who had just teed off its round its. The Florida separation began with a trio of birdies from Parker Bell, John DuBois and Ian Gilligan. Then Jack Turner put the Hoosiers and Mississippi State’s comeback efforts out of reach with a birdie on six to go up by 10 shots and into fourth place.

At the NCAA National Championship, Florida concluded with an 11th-place finish and battled for back-to-back match play appearances. An important 1-under 287 third round helped advance Florida to the final round of stroke play for the third consecutive season. The Gators started the day in eighth, and in the final match-play spot with a one-shot advantage. The Orange and Blue continued its streak of five straight top-11 finishes after winning the national title - 1974: 2nd, 1994: 3rd, 1969: T5 and 2002: T11.

It was a historic season for Deacon and the Gators in 2022-23 that led to the program’s fifth National Championship and 16th SEC Championship. Both were first for Deacon as he capped off the season being named  Division I Dave Williams National Coach of the Year, a career first and only the second Gator head coach to receive the honor and third overall in program history and first since 2004 when Buddy Alexander received the recognition. He was also tabbed the SEC Coach of the Year.

Florida captured a national title for the first time in 22 years last week as the Gators swept NCAAs with Fred Biondi winning the NCAA Individual Championship. It was the third UF golfer (Nick Gilliam 2001, Bob Murphy 1966) to achieve the honor and second time in 30 years the program swept both titles. Florida is one of seven schools to achieve the mark twice. 

In nine seasons, Florida has won 21 total events and medalist honors under Deacon. The Gators won the NCAA team title, individual title and conference title in the same season for the first time in program history. 

UF reached match play at nationals for the first time in program history after Deacon led the Gators to its best finish in the match play era (2009) last year in 10th. Florida played in the fourth round of stroke play for the fifth time in program history and third with Deacon. It was also the second consecutive season to clinch a spot in the final 18.

Florida finished stroke play in 2nd with a score of 1118 (-2), its lowest all-time at Grayhawk and first under par team score at the NCAAs since 2006. The 1,118 was the lowest round score at the National Championships in program history. A final round of 279 (-1) marks the third consecutive under round after back-to-back 2-under 278s in round two and three. The 2-under performance by UF is the best round at the NCAA Championships since the opening round in 2007. 

Florida made its 56th NCAA Championship appearance this year, ranking fifth most in the country. The Gators have advanced out of regionals six times under Deacon and the last two years. UF has qualified for regionals every season with Deacon at the helm.

 A third round comeback at Bath Regional saw Florida erase a seven shot deficit led by a trio of rounds in the 60s by Yuxin Lin (66, -5), John DuBois (69, -2) and Ricky Castillo (69, -2) to earn a spot at Grayhawk. 

In his ninth season, Deacon guided Florida to a SEC Championship Title for the first time in 12 years. The Gators got revenge and defeated No. 1 Vanderbilt 3-1-1 at Sea Island after falling 3-2 in 2022. Senior John DuBois, the 2022 SEC Individual Champion, sank a 15-footer for the match-clinching point. 

Florida claimed six team titles and six individual titles this season, the most all-time under Deacon. The six team wins was the most since seven in 2003-04 as it was the sixth time the Gators have won at least six events in a season. The six medalist honors tied the program record in a season and only the third time in Florida history, the others were in 1989-90 and 2010-11. 

Prior to the postseason, the Orange and Blue won four regular season tournaments, including the season opener and finale. At the Augusta Haskins Award Invite, Florida finished 39-under par, to tie second all-time in program history by par and only three shots away from the record (-42) set under Deacon at the 2018 NCAA Regional. 

At the VyStar Credit Union Gators Invitational, Florida won its home event for the fourth straight year under Deacon and the 29th time overall in the tournament's 46th occurrence.

Deacon saw four golfers (Fred Biondi, Ricky Castillo, John DuBois and Yuxin Lin) all earn PING All-American honors, tied for the most selections by a school this year and tied the Florida record. It was the seventh time the Gators had four selections with the last time being in 2006.  Biondi, Castillo, Lin and Quentin Debove were also selected to the PING All-Region Team. The trio of Biondi, Castillo and Lin collected All-SEC honors with Matthew Kress collecting freshman team recognition. 

Success was also obtained off the course with Fred Biondi, Quentin Debove and John DuBois being named GCCA All-American Scholars, which marked the third consecutive years with multiple honorees under Deacon and most selections in a single season in program history.

After a bumpy fall in the 2021-22 season, Deacon got the Gators regrouped for a dominant spring. The second half of the season started on a strong note with winning back-to-back tournaments victories at the Sea Best Invitational and the VyStar Gators Invitational. The victory at Sea Best marked the fifth time in the spring opener and third time under Deacon. 

At the Gator, Florida won the 45th annual event for the 28th time in program history and third under Deacon. The Gators shot 28-under (812) to win by 12 strokes over No. 3 Oklahoma State. Fred Biondi finished 14-under at 196 to tie the tournament record while he claimed his first collegiate medalist honor. The record was last set by Camilo Benedetti in 2001 as he tied for second in tournament score and tied third all-time in tournament score by par in three rounds. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, he set career bests in low round (63), tournament score and finish on the weekend. Biondi became the 16th UF golfer to be the individual champion at the invite as his birdie on 18th concluded the career outing and brought the crowd at Mark Bostick to their feet.  

Biondi’s first collegiate victory turned into a breakout season as he won his second tournament at the Calusa Cup along with two runner-up finishes, including at the NCAA Palm Beach Regional. He ended his season being named a PING First Team All-American, Haskins Award Finalist, All-SEC First Team, GCAA All-American Scholar, PING All-Region Team and two-time SEC Golfer of the Week. 

At the 2022 SEC Championships, another Gator won his first collegiate title with John DuBois being crowned the individual champion. He became he 25th Gator in program history to win the title, the most by any SEC School. He joins the list of names such as Tommy Aaron, Steve Melnyk, Brian Gay, Camilo Benedetti, and volunteer assistant coach Billy Horschel. It marks the third UF golfer to win in the last five tournaments and third under Deacon - Alejandro Tosti (2017) and Andy Zheng (2018). 

The Gators advanced to the SEC match play finals for the first time since the format was added in 2017. UF knocked off No. 6 Georgia (3-1-1) in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Texas A&M (3-1-1) in the semifinals. Florida finished runner-up for the 13th time in program history and first since 2010. 

UF took care of business at the NCAA Palm Beach Regional with 3rd place performance, advancing to its 55th NCAA Championship and fifth under Deacon, only  missing it twice under him. At Grayhawk and the NCAA Championships, Deacon helped rally the Gators late in round three on the back nine to make the top-15 cut. Florida concluded its run only seven strokes from making match play for a 10th place finish, marking the highest under Deacon and best since 2007 - a 9th place outing.  
    
Deacon and the Gators returned to competition in a three-tournament fall schedule that featured SEC only play to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Florida touted a new lineup that featured at least three newcomers in each tournament, recording its best finish at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate where a 24-under par score put the team in a tie for fourth place. Deacon lit the fire for the Gators heading into the winter hiatus, responding with back-to-back first place finishes in their first two tournaments, including the second straight win at the Gators Invitational.
 
The Gators qualified for their 54th NCAA Championship in program history after a gutsy final round in the Cle Elum Regional propelled the team into fifth place. Florida would see its season come to an end after three rounds of stroke play at the Championship, with Ricky Castillo qualifying individually for the final day of stroke play and ultimately finishing 12th in the field.

Deacon oversaw an incredible freshman duo in Joe Pagdin and Tyler Wilkes. Pagdin was named the 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year and the pair were both names to the SEC All-Freshman Team. In addition, Ricky Castillo earned a spot on the Second-Team All-SEC. Castillo and Pagdin were both named to the Division I PING All-Region Southeast Team.

Under Deacon, the Gators were trending upwards before the 2019-20 season abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a challenging fall campaign, Florida opened the spring with three-straight top-five finishes. Of those finishes, Deacon’s squad captured the team title at the VyStar Gators Invitational by an impressive 18 strokes, giving the Gators their first team win at Mark Bostick Golf Course since 2011.

Deacon oversaw the best one-two combination in the nation with junior John Axelsen and freshman Ricky Castillo. Both players received recognition at the national and league level following their outstanding play. Castillo was named the 2020 Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award honoree and SEC Freshman of the Year. He also earned a spot on the All-SEC First Team, NCAA Division I PING All-America First Team and appeared on the Ben Hogan Award Final Watch List. Alongside Castillo, Axelsen also earned First Team All-American and All-SEC First Team honors.

The Gators ended the 2018-19 season at the NCAA Regional in Pullman, Washington. Florida tallied four top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes. Their best came at the Florida Gators Invitational where the finished in second place, just one stroke off the winner Vanderbilt. The Gators' arguably-best performance came in the last event of the regular season at the Robert Kepler Invitational, hosted by Ohio State. The Gators finished third with four Gators inside the top 25. Sophomore John Axelsen earned PING All-Region honors at the conclusion of the season. 

The 2017-18 season brought another individual conference champion and All-American under Deacon's reign in sophomore Andy Zhang. The Gators notched three titles, five top-5 and eight top-10 finishes throughout the season. They won the NCAA Regional in record-breaking fashion. After sitting at 25-under and five clear of the field entering the final round, Florida was chasing history. The team needed to shoot 12-under-par to tie the record for strokes under par.

The Gators shattered that mark, shooting a final-round 271 (-17), the lowest single round to par in program history. By the end of the tournament, they were 42-under-par to set the new program record by five strokes en route to winning the event by 12 shots. All five Gator players finished 2-under or better in the tournament, the only school in the field to accomplish the feat. Florida won the regional title for the first time since 2011 and fifth time overall.

The Gators advanced to the 54th NCAA Championships in program history and the third time in four season the team has made it under Deacon.

During the 2016-17 season, the Gators tallied five team victories, nine top-5 finishes and 11 top-10 finishes en route to earning a national seed in the program’s 53rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Individually, Florida had four players finish atop the leaderboard including Alejando Tosti’s victory at the SEC Championships. Florida also had nine top-5 finishes and 21 top-10 finishes in 2016-17.

Deacon saw two of his golfers in Sam Horsfield and Tosti garner national honors as the pairing were both named to the Golfweek and PING All-America Teams. Tosti was placed on the Golfweek First Team, PING second team and All-SEC honors. Horsfield garnered honorable mention honors from Golfweek and PING and All-SEC honors. Gordon Neale was also named to the All-SEC team while Andy Zhang made Freshman All-SEC.

During its second season under his guidance, the team notched two victories, nine top-5 finishes and 11 top-10 finishes on its way to the NCAA Championships, the program’s 52nd appearance in the event. They improved in every postseason tournament, finishing tied for third at the SEC Championship, tied for second at the NCAA Regional and 15th at the NCAA Championships. Individually, Deacon saw his players capture four victories, four runner ups and 22 top-10 finishes.
 
Under Deacon’s coaching, Sam Horsfield cleaned up the awards season, winning the Phil Mickleson Award and SEC Freshman of the Year while also being named First Team Ping All-America, GCAA All-Freshman Team, PING All-Southeastern Region Team, All Nicklaus Team, and All-SEC. Deacon also saw Gordon Neale be named a Ping All-America Honorable Mention and named to the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll, Alejandro Tosti named to the PING All-Southeastern Region Team, and four Gators make the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
 
In Deacon’s first season at the helm, the 2014-15 squad placed fourth at the NCAA Regional Championship en route to qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the 51st time in school history. On the way to the postseason, Florida collected seven top-10 finishes, including four runner-up performances. UF combined for 34 top-25 finishes and 14 top-10 finishes, with three Gators placing in the top five multiple times.
 
In his initial year with the program, Deacon coached J.D. Tomlinson to spots on the PING Honorable Mention All-America Team, PING All-Southeast Region Team and second team All-SEC and led Alejandro Tosti to a place on the Freshman All-SEC Team. Under his watch, five Gators were named to the SEC Academic Roll, one was selected to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll and two were chosen as Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars.
 
Prior to his head coaching debut, Deacon served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, UNLV. A collegiate player for the Rebels from 2001-05, Deacon joined the UNLV staff in the spring of 2011 and helped the 2013 squad advance to match play at the NCAA Championships, where it tied for fifth. A pair of Rebels, Kevin Penner (2012 & 2013) and Derek Ernst (2012), earned All-America honors on his watch. Five Rebels collected a total of eight spots on the All-Mountain West Men's Golf Team under his guidance, with Ernst winning the 2012 Mountain West Conference individual title and Penner picking up the victory in 2013.
 
As a student-athlete, Deacon helped UNLV to a Mountain West title in 2002 by tying for second in the individual contest. He competed in the 2002 and 2003 NCAA Championships and was a member of the Golf Coaches Association of America All-American Scholar Team and the Academic All-Mountain West Team in 2004. Deacon graduated from UNLV with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2005 and has returned to the state where he completed high school. Deacon, who attended IMG Academy, graduated from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Bradenton.
 
Deacon played professionally on the Gateway Tour and Canadian Tour. He was a U.S. Amateur semifinalist in 2005 before capturing two Minor League Golf Tour Titles in 2007, taking top honors at the Emerald Hills Classic and the Miami Shores Shootout.
 
Deacon played in 35 events over a three-year span (2008-10) on the Canadian Tour and made 17 cuts. His best finish came at the 2008 Saskatchewan Open, where he shared a spot for fourth place.
 
Deacon became the Gator men’s golf team’s 15th head coach when he replaced legendary Gator head coach Buddy Alexander in the summer of 2014.
 
Deacon and his wife, Jessi, have two daughters, Dylan and Sydney and a son, Ripp. He also has a brother Jeff and sister Gillian. His parents are Jennifer and Cam Deacon.
 
The JC Deacon File:
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 
Education: Bachelor of Science – Communications, UNLV, 2005

• Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-American Scholar (2004)
• Academic All-Mountain West Team (2004)

• Assistant Coach, UNLV, 2011-14
• Head Coach, University of Florida, 2014-present

• UNLV, 2001-05
• Gateway Tour, 2005-06
• Canadian Tour, 2007-10

• Tied for fourth at the Saskatchewan Open (2008)
• Won the Emerald Hills Classic (2007)
• Won the Miami Shores Shootout (2007)
• Semifinalist at the U.S. Amateur (2005)
• Two-time participant at the NCAA Championship (2002 & 2003)
• Team Champion at the Mountain West Championship (2002)
• Tied for second at the Mountain West Championship (2002)
• Two-time Ontario Junior Amateur Champion (2000 & 2001)