CLEMSON, S.C. — Head Coach Boomer Saia announced the addition of RJ Nagel and Ryan Kucera to the coaching staff for the 2026-27 season on Tuesday.
“I'm really excited about the hiring of RJ and Ryan. They are great fits and both have terrific work ethic and will help our program reach the goals we set out to accomplish!” said Saia. "Ryan has a lot of good head coaching experience but also has a humbleness in learning the game of tennis. His great attitude and ability to network and grow will help get Clemson to new heights. RJ’s work ethic and experience really was impressive in the interview process. He has helped turn programs around, recruited and developed at a high level, and will be all in on getting Clemson to where we want to go!"
Nagel has an illustrious resume as both a player and a coach. Graduating from South Alabama in 2009, he played three seasons with the Jaguars and helped lead the team to back-to-back Sunbelt Conference Championships in 2007 and 2008. In his final season with South Alabama he compiled an individual record of 20-1 and was ranked as high as No. 11 by ITA.
Following his playing career, he spent six seaons as an assistant coach for the University of Louisiana-Monroe (ULM) women's team where he helped guide the Warhawks to a Sunbelt Conference Tournamnet Championship and a No. 46 team ITA ranking, marking the first national ranking for the Warhawks since 2003.
Prior to his time at Harvard, Nagel was the assistant coach for the Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) men's tennis team where he helped lead them to an overall record of 79-31, five Atlantic-10 conference titles and five NCAA tournament appearances. During his three years with the Crimson, Nagel helped guide Harvard to its first Ivy League title since 2017, as the team went undefeated in Ivy League play for the first time since 2006 during the 2024–25 season, earning recognition on the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year.
“I'm incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to join Clemson,” said Nagel. "The tradition, culture, and commitment to excellence here really stood out to me throughout the process. I'm especially excited for the opportunity to work alongside Boomer and be part of the vision he has for the program."
Kucera played collegiately at Luther College from 2016-2017 and Grand View from 2017-20 before serving as the head coach for the women's program at MSU-Mankato from 2020-22. During that time, he became the first MNSU coach to receive the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year award after leading the Mavericks to a 16-10 record. Kucera guided MNSU to an 8-3 record in NSIC play to finish tied for third in conference standings, its highest finish since 2009.
After his stint with MNSU, Kucera spent a season at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In his time at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he guided the Panthers to the 2023 Horizon League Tournament and helped Nadiia Konieva to an All-Horizon League First Team and Horizon League Freshman of the Year honors.
In 2023, he became the head women’s tennis coach at Eastern Michigan. During his time with EMU, Kucera guided the Eagles to 24 dual match wins, the second-most for an EMU coach in their first two seasons and led Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya to MAC Freshman of the Year honors.
“I'm blessed and excited to join the Clemson family!” stated Kucera. "I'm thankful to Coach Boomer and Clemson administration for this opportunity. Clemson is a special institution with an unmatched commitment to excellence. I look forward to working tirelessly with Coach Boomer, Coach RJ, and this great group of student athletes to bring championships to Clemson! Go Tigers!"