After four successful seasons as an assistant coach at Florida State, Chris Malloy is coming to Tampa as the next head coach of the USF men’s golf team.

Malloy, 32, helped lead the Seminoles to their first ACC golf championship in 2008 and a third-place finish in the 2010 NCAA tournament. FSU was a mainstay in the top 25 during his tenure as an assistant coach.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be the head men’s golf coach at the University of South Florida,” Malloy said in a statement. “To have an opportunity to compete in the Big East and to live in a place like Tampa is an amazing opportunity. I look forward to going out on the recruiting trail and getting the best possible student-athletes here to Tampa. The sky is the limit.”

Malloy takes over for Jim Fee, who coached the Bulls for 11 seasons and was recently named USF’s director of Athletic Events and Championships.

This past season, Malloy was nationally recognized for his efforts when he was selected as one of five finalists for the Jan Strickland Award, which is presented to the NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA or NJCAA assistant coach who has excelled in working with student-athletes on the course and in the classroom.

FSU’s men’s and women’s golf teams each had a perfect Academic Progress Rate during all four years of Malloy’s tenure.

“Chris (Malloy) is one of the outstanding young coaches in America and will be a tremendous addition to our staff,” USF Athletics Director Doug Woolard said in a statement. “He has played a critical role in building one of the nation’s best programs at Florida State, and he brings great pedigree to USF having spent the last four years working closely with one of the nation’s outstanding head coaches in Trey Jones.”

As a player, Malloy led Ole Miss to the NCAA championship finals in 1999 and the NCAA East Regional Championship tournament in 2000. He was team captain during both of those runs.

“(Malloy) is regarded as a fine teacher of the game and a terrific recruiter with established relationships throughout Florida and the rest of the country,” Woolard said. “I believe that the young men in our program will benefit greatly from his leadership, mentoring and coaching. We intend to build a nationally prominent program with our sights set on winning a Big East and national championship. We have found the right man to lead the way in Chris Malloy.”