North Florida Athletics Removes Interim Title, Names Bobby Kennen Men's Basketball Head Coach

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Nick Morrow announced that the interim title has been removed from North Florida Men's Basketball Head Coach Bobby Kennen.

The decision reflects the administration's confidence in Kennen's leadership, the program's culture and a long-term direction to pair a championship-level vision with the support to sustain it.

Kennen officially becomes the fifth Head Coach in North Florida Men's Basketball program history. Kennen was elevated to Interim Head Coach on May 22, 2025.

"Coach Kennen has led the North Florida Men's Basketball program the right way – with integrity, accountability and a deep commitment to the holistic development of our student-athletes," Morrow said. "He represents the University of North Florida with class in our community, on the recruiting trail and within the Atlantic Sun Conference."

"As the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve, we believe stability and alignment matter. We are confident in Coach Kennen's leadership, and we are committed to resourcing our Men's Basketball program at a higher level to enhance roster construction, retention, and overall competitiveness. Our goal is clear: build a championship-caliber program that reflects the values of North Florida, while positioning us to compete at the highest level of our conference."

Throughout his 17 seasons at North Florida, Kennen has helped cultivate and reinforce a culture centered on work ethic and development both on and off the court. In the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics, the ability to maintain the culture of a program has become increasingly challenging. Kennen has played a key role in both building and protecting that culture, while representing the program with professionalism and integrity that reflects the values of the university.

"It is an incredible honor to lead the North Florida Men's Basketball program," Kennen added. "I believe deeply in what this program can become. This season challenged us, but it also reinforced how much I believe in this program, our administration, university and our community. What excites me most is the alignment we have across our athletic department and university leadership to make the necessary investment in our student athletes to build together a program that competes at the highest level. We are highly committed to the student-athlete experience at North Florida, and winning is a huge part of that. We will continue to grow our program in a way that holistically develops outstanding young men and wins championships."

The promotion also reflects retention with a strategic commitment to elevated investment. North Florida intends to resource the program at a higher level with additional resources that include enhancements to the program's Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) strategy, improved roster-building infrastructure and stronger alignment between administration and coaching staff.

In the current landscape, coaching ability must be paired with resource competitiveness. North Florida intends to ensure that Kennen and the program have the tools necessary to compete at the highest level.

North Florida has also experienced firsthand how NIL opportunities and the transfer portal impact mid-major programs across the Division I landscape. Despite the fact that the program has lost eight players to the transfer portal in two years, including four to SEC and Big Ten programs, Kennen has navigated these changes with transparency and integrity, while maintaining the program's standards. With increased institutional support, the program will be positioned to retain key contributors, compete in the transfer portal and recruit at a higher level in the high school ranks.

North Florida views Kennen's promotion as part of a long-term approach to building a successful program rather than reacting to short-term circumstances. Kennen and the administration are aligned in the understanding that success requires strong culture, player development and the proper infrastructure necessary to support the program's growth.

With Kennen now leading the program on a permanent basis, stability combined with strategic investment positions North Florida for sustained competitiveness in the ASUN Conference.

Kennen coached senior guard Kamrin Oriol to 2026 Second Team All-ASUN and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.

"We evaluate programs holistically and we recognize the challenges mid-major programs face in this era. We believe in Coach Kennen's ability to win at North Florida, and we are backing that belief with resources. If we want championship-level results, we must pair championship leadership with championship-level support. That is exactly what we're doing moving forward."

North Florida Athletics Removes Interim Title, Names Bobby Kennen Men's Basketball Head Coach

Players Mentioned

Kamrin Oriol

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