The Citadel wrestling head coach
Tim McCall announced the addition of Kegan Calkins as an assistant coach hire in July 2026.
Calkins joins The Citadel's coaching staff after a successful stint at SIUE as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, during which he played a key role in the program's rise. He helped secure multiple nationally-recognized recruiting classes and contributed to SIUE's first-ever Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular-season championship and the program's most successful season since entering Division I in 2008. Working primarily with the lighter weight classes, Calkins helped develop three NCAA qualifiers.
Prior to SIUE, Calkins served as an assistant coach at Aurora University, where he helped launch the wrestling program from the ground up. He recruited the program's first two classes, which produced three eventual NCAA qualifiers on the men's side. He also helped assemble a top-20 recruiting class for the women's program, which later produced an NCAA national champion.
Calkins spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at the University of the Cumberlands, helping guide the Patriots to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 NAIA National Championships and to consecutive NAIA top-10 team finishes. During his tenure, the program produced seven NAIA All-Americans, a national champion and a Greco-Roman Junior World Team member.
Internationally, Calkins has coached with the Jamaican Wrestling Federation, representing the country at the World Championships and Olympic qualifying tournaments. He has also helped coach multiple wrestlers to international medals at the Pan American and Caribbean Championships.
As a competitor, Calkins was a two-year starter at Oregon State under Coach Jim Zaleski, where he earned 44 collegiate victories. He also scored U.S. Open All-America honors in Greco-Roman wrestling at the senior level.
A native of Illinois, Calkins was a two-time state qualifier and the 2014 Illinois state champion while competing for Montini Catholic High School. He was also a Greco-Roman All-American, placing fifth and second at the Fargo National Championships.
Calkins earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of the Cumberlands and his master's degree in Sports Nutrition from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
