Michigan State's Harry Jadun steps down; Mike Flowers to lead men’s tennis

Connor Earegood, The Detroit NewsTue, May 5, 2026 at 9:34 PM UTC

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Only a few days after its Big Ten championship season ended in the NCAA Tournament, Michigan State’s men’s tennis program is making a leadership change.

Michigan State head coach Harry Jadun is stepping away from the coaching ranks after four seasons leading the Spartans’ men’s tennis program, according to an athletic department release Tuesday. His top assistant, Mike Flowers, will take over the program after spending four years as Jadun’s assistant.

The reigning Big Ten coach of the year, the 32-year-old Jadun is pursuing career opportunities outside of tennis and collegiate coaching. He had not responded as of publication when contacted by The Detroit News on Tuesday afternoon.

“I am deeply grateful to Michigan State University, the Athletic Department and the entire Spartan community for the privilege and the opportunity to serve as the head coach of Michigan State men’s tennis,” Jadun said in a statement released by Michigan State, also thanking his wife Rachel and son Rami in the statement. “This University and the Spartan Tennis program has given myself and my family so much since my time growing up in East Lansing. As an alum, student-athlete and coach, I have learned so many valuable lessons and developed relationships here at Michigan State that I will continue to cherish for the rest of my life. This was not an easy decision, as this program means the world to me, but I am so excited for the future of Spartan Tennis and proud of what we have built together.”

An East Lansing native, Jadun played for Michigan State from 2011 to 2015 and earned All-American honors in doubles while leading the Spartans to their first team NCAA Tournament berth in 2013. In 2017, he joined the staff of his eventual predecessor Gene Orlando as an assistant coach. In June 2022, Jadun took over MSU’s program as head coach.

Before he was hired at MSU, he spent a month at Illinois as an assistant coach in May 2022.

“We appreciate and celebrate the leadership Harry Jadun has provided our tennis program, including the last four years as head coach,” Michigan State athletic director J Batt said. “His journey began as an All-American student-athlete for the Spartans, continued as an assistant coach and culminated by directing a historic season for the tennis program. While he's made the decision to step away from collegiate coaching to pursue a new career path and focus on his family, he's clearly a Spartan for Life. We respect his decision and wish him well in his new journey.”

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Jadun coached Michigan State to a 70-40 record in four seasons, including a school record 23-7 campaign in 2023-24 and a 19-9 record in 2025-26, 12-1 in Big Ten play to win Michigan State’s first Big Ten championship since 1967, the only two in program history. Michigan State also won the 2026 Big Ten Tournament, but lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to South Carolina on Saturday, its third straight second-round exit.

The past three seasons, three Spartans made the All-Big Ten awards including three first-team selections this season in Ozan Baris, Aristotelis Thanos and Matthew Forbes. Baris and Thanos graduated this year, and Forbes entered the transfer portal Tuesday as announced on his Instagram.

In Flowers, Michigan State keeps continuity with Jadun’s program — Flowers was brought in as Jadun’s assistant coach and played a big role in the program’s recent success. He helped coach Baris, a three-time All-American and the 2024-25 NCAA singles runner-up. Before joining Jadun at MSU, Flowers coached three seasons at Davenport University in Grand Rapids. He is also an MSU alum, having played for the program he’ll now coach from 2004 to 2007.

“Being named head coach for Michigan State men’s tennis is an unbelievable opportunity,” Flowers said in a statement. “Spartan tennis has been a foundational part of my life, both personally and professionally, dating back to my days as a student-athlete. I look forward to providing that same opportunity to current and future Spartans. I’d like to thank President (Kevin) Guskiewicz and AD Batt for their belief in me. I’m grateful to Harry Jadun for bringing me back to East Lansing four years ago. Together, we worked hard to build a program that performs at a high level on the court and in the classroom. This program has seen tremendous growth, and we look forward to continuing that momentum. It's time to get to work!”

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Harry Jadun steps down as Michigan State tennis coach

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