Ryler DeHeart

Ryler DeHeart is the Associate Head Men’s Tennis Coach at Florida State University.

Ryler DeHeart, a five-year ATP professional and four-year assistant at the University of Alabama, was named the men’s tennis Associate Head Coach in the Summer of 2016.

During his time at Alabama (2013-16), DeHeart helped lead the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Tournament his first year and coached four All-Americans during his tenure, including the No. 6 doubles team of Korey Lovett and Mazen Osama last season.

DeHeart played four years collegiately at the University of Illinois, helping lead the Illini to an NCAA Championship as a freshman in 2003. A two-time All-American, he continues to hold the all-time singles wins record for the Illini, with 138, and is second and fourth on the single-season wins list with 42 in 2005 and 39 in 2006.

Graduating with a degree in psychology with a premed focus, DeHeart won the ITA Indoor Championship in 2005 and 2006 and was ranked No. 1 in the country in each of those seasons. DeHeart was also named the 2006 ITA Midwest Region Player of the Year, the 2005 and 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year, and was a three-time All-Big Ten selection.

After playing at Illinois, the Kauai, Hawai’i, native played professionally for five years, including an appearance in each of the four Grand Slams. He reached a career-high ranking of 174 in singles and 120 in doubles, and faced the top-ranked player in the world, Rafael Nadal, in the second round of the 2008 US Open.

DeHeart and his wife, Megan, founded the RD Tennis high performance program in Tampa before his stint with the Crimson Tide. The pair have one daughter, Lily, and one son, JR.