USF athletic director Doug Woolard has moved quickly in finding a new men's golf coach, announcing on Tuesday the hiring of Florida State assistant Chris Malloy.

"Chris is one of the outstanding young coaches in America and will be a tremendous addition to our staff," Woolard said in a statement. "He has played a critical role in building one of the nation's best programs at Florida State, and he brings great pedigree to USF having spent the last four years working closely with one of the nation's outstanding head coaches in Trey Jones. ... We intend to build a nationally prominent program with our sights set on winning a Big East and national championship. We have found the right man to lead the way in Chris Malloy."

Malloy, 32, helped the Seminoles to an ACC title in 2008 and a third-place finish in this year's NCAA championships. He was one of five finalists last month for the Jan Strickland Award, given by the Golf Coaches Association to the top college assistant for excellence with players on the course and in the classroom. He also served as FSU's interim women's golf coach this spring.

"As a coach, you want to go to work for a first-class administration that wants to be good," Malloy said. "There's no reason why we shouldn't be very successful at USF ... To compete in the Big East and to live in a place like Tampa is an amazing opportunity. I look forward to going out on the recruiting trail and getting the best possible student-athletes here to Tampa. The sky is the limit."

The 2001 Mississippi graduate takes over for Jim Fee, who after 14 seasons moved this month into a new job as USF's director of athletic events and championships.

Most of the FSU roster Malloy recruited came from Florida, including players from Dade City and Tampa's Plant High School. He said he'll start recruiting players for 2011 for USF this week, and said there's ample talent in the state to help the Bulls.

"We just recruited the entire state so hard (at FSU)," he said. "We have to find the best players in Tampa and around the state -- it will continue to be a hotbed."