Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Coach
Josh Moore was named the seventh head coach in Kent State wrestling history in June 2025, returning to the program where he spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach from 2004-2015. Moore brings 21 years of Division I coaching experience to the Golden Flashes, including seven successful seasons as head coach at Cleveland State University.
During his seven seasons as head coach at Cleveland State, Moore transformed the Vikings into a nationally competitive program both on the mat and in the classroom. He coached 14 NCAA qualifiers and mentored the program’s first-ever MAC Champion, Ben Smith, who won titles in 2022 and 2024 at 197 pounds. Under his leadership, Cleveland State produced 31 MAC placers and two MAC Champions and consistently finished among the top programs in the conference.
Moore’s impact extended beyond individual achievements as he elevated the entire program’s profile. The Vikings regularly exceeded expectations at MAC Championships, with their seventh-place finish in 2023 representing a program-best seven placers. Cleveland State’s transition from the Eastern Wrestling League to the MAC under Moore’s guidance was seamless, with the program immediately establishing itself as a contender despite being picked last in preseason polls during their first MAC season.
Academic excellence became a hallmark of Moore’s program at Cleveland State. The Vikings consistently ranked among the top Division I programs nationally in team GPA, finishing second in the nation multiple times with GPAs of 3.54, 3.55, and 3.57. The program led the MAC in Individual Academic All-Americans and regularly produced Scholar All-Americans, with Cleveland State earning recognition in the NWCA Top-30 Scholar All-American team standings throughout Moore’s tenure.
Before being named head coach on May 1, 2018, Moore was the top assistant for three seasons at Cleveland State. During this time, he helped develop wrestlers like Evan Cheek, who won the 2018 Outstanding Wrestler award at the EWL Championships, and Nick Corba, who became the first Viking in over 20 years to win two matches with bonus points at the NCAA Championships in 2017.
Moore’s assistant coaching tenure included notable achievements such as Nick Corba winning two matches with bonus points at the 2017 NCAA Championships, becoming the first Viking to accomplish that feat in over 20 years. In 2016, Riley Shaw and Sam Wheeler reached the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships, with both wrestlers achieving 30 wins on the season.
Before Cleveland State, Moore spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Kent State, where he helped establish the Golden Flashes as a national power. During his tenure, Kent State produced nine All-Americans, the program’s first National Champion, and 54 NCAA qualifiers. The Golden Flashes finished in the top 25 nationally in dual meets eight times and compiled a 42-18-1 record in MAC dual competition, including undefeated conference marks in 2008-09 and 2011-12.
Moore’s recruiting efforts resulted in multiple top-20 ranked classes, focusing heavily on Ohio and Pennsylvania talent. The Golden Flashes won 19 MAC individual titles, four MAC Wrestler of the Year awards, and four MAC Freshman of the Year honors during his time. Kent State had at least one All-American in each of Moore’s final seven seasons, culminating with Dustin Kilgore winning the 2011 national championship—the first in program history and the first by any MAC wrestler in over a decade.
As a competitor, Moore was a two-time NCAA All-American at Penn State University, finishing as the national runner-up in 2004 and third-place finisher in 2003. He holds Penn State records for career matches wrestled (184), single-season pins (24), and senior wins (44), and is tied for the career pins record (53). Moore ranks third in career wins at Penn State with 146 victories and was a two-time National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic First Team honoree.
Moore’s twin brother, Scott, is the current head wrestling coach at fellow MAC member Lock Haven University and was also an All-American at Penn State (2003) and the University of Virginia (2004).
A native of Franklin, Pa., Moore graduated from Penn State in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in crime, law & justice. He earned a Master of Arts in sports management from Kent State in 2009.
Moore and his wife, Shianne, reside in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, with their three sons, Joshua, Jacob, and Jason, and their two dogs, a yellow lab (Nittany) and a black lab (Barkley).
