Kent State Elevates Josh Moore to Director of Wrestling and Men’s Head Coach
8/19/2026 11:59:00 AM | Wrestling, Women's Wrestling
Following a standout first season at the helm, Moore will oversee both the men’s and newly announced women’s wrestling programs.
KENT, Ohio — Kent State Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Randale L. Richmond announced Tuesday that Josh Moore has been elevated to the director of wrestling and men's wrestling head coach. In this expanded role, Moore will oversee all operations for both the men's program and the recently announced women's wrestling program.
Moore's immediate priority as the director of wrestling will be to lead the national search for the first head coach of the Kent State women's wrestling program. The search is expected to conclude this summer, giving the new coach a full year to recruit and build the program before it begins competition in the fall of 2027. Kent State recently made history by becoming the first NCAA Division I institution in Ohio, and the fifth in the nation, to sponsor women's wrestling.
"As we embark on this historic addition of women's wrestling to our athletics department, Josh's leadership, vision, and deep ties to the Ohio wrestling community make him the perfect person to oversee the entirety of Kent State Wrestling," said Richmond. "He redirected our men's program on the trajectory of success that program is accustomed to and continued to push academic excellence to new heights. We're excited to see him do the same and more with the implementation of women's wrestling."
Named the seventh head coach in Kent State men's wrestling history in June 2025, Moore engineered an instant turnaround during the 2025-2026 campaign. Under his guidance, the Golden Flashes secured their most dual victories in eight years. A major highlight of the season came when Kent State defeated rival Ohio in the final match of the night, earning its first Grudge Match victory in five seasons.
Moore's leadership also yielded major individual successes. He produced the school's first MAC Champion since 2022 in Chris Earnest, and successfully coached both Earnest and Blake Schaffer to the NCAA Championships in Cleveland as national qualifiers.
Crucially, Moore paired on-mat performance with academic excellence. His focus on academics landed the men's team in the top ten nationally in team GPA and led the Mid-American Conference with eight All-MAC Academic selections.
"I'm honored to step into the director of wrestling role at Kent State and help guide one of the nation's fastest-growing sports in women's wrestling," said Moore. "The Ohio wrestling community has a lot to be excited about as we launch the state's first Division I women's program, a milestone made possible by the incredible vision and commitment of President Todd Diacon and Vice President and Director of Athletics Randale L. Richmond to expand opportunity and grow wrestling at all levels."
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