Pitt sprinter Julian Koch announced his transfer to the University of Tennessee on Wednesday, joining the Vols with two seasons of eligibility after spending the first half of his collegiate career with the Panthers.
Koch, 20, entered the transfer portal at the beginning of April, just a few days removed from the 2026 Men’s NCAA Championships, where he had a standout performance, making a pair of individual finals and setting best times and Pitt records in everything he swam.
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Over the last month, there have been rumors that Koch would land at Texas, Arizona State, or Florida, but he ends up at Tennessee, which has proven to be an elite sprint free and fly school over the last five years, led by the duo of Jordan Crooks and Gui Caribe.
After losing Crooks after the 2024-25 campaign, Caribe stepped up this past season, serving as a lynchpin on the Tennessee relays while placing 2nd in the 50 free, 3rd in the 100 free and 11th in the 100 fly individually.
With his graduation this spring, the Vols will be relying on Koch to fill those shoes.
Koch was on fire throughout his sophomore year, resetting the Pitt program records multiple times in the 50, 100 and 200 free, and the 100 fly, culminating with his performance at the NCAA Championships.
The German native’s best performance came in the 100 free, where he placed 4th in a lifetime best of 40.43 after leading the prelims in 40.52. He broke 44 seconds for the first time in the prelims of the 100 fly, clocking 43.85 in the morning before finishing 8th in the final (44.28).
Koch also took 15th in the 50 free (18.85), giving him a total of 28 individual points, which ranked 13th among non-senior swimmers at the meet.
He also led off Pitt’s 200 and 800 free relays in new best times and school records, clocking 18.65 in the 50 free and 1:31.79 in the 200 free, and finished out the meet by clocking 40.71 on the lead-off leg of the 400 free relay.
One month earlier at the ACC Championships, he placed 3rd in the 100 fly (44.56), 4th in the 100 free (41.26) and 9th in the 50 free (18.87).
Koch finished out his freshman year at Pitt owning best times of 19.41 in the 50 free, 42.41 in the 100 free and 46.76 in the 100 fly, showing just how far he came last season. He didn’t qualify for NCAAs as a freshman, with his best finish at the ACC Championships coming in the 100 free, where he was 16th.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Koch will take over Caribe’s place on the Tennessee relays, likely joining Nikoli Blackman, Koby Bujak-Upton and Pedro Sansone on the sprint free relays, and he could easily swim either free or fly on the medley relays.
Tennessee placed 5th at the 2026 Men’s NCAA Championships with 272 points, and will return six of their eight individual scorers next year, only losing Caribe (39) and Nick Simons (12).
good for him! Finally a transfer i can be excited about
Wishing Julian all the best. He was an absolute BEAST for Pitt. H2P!!!
He will do great at Tenn. They are doing a great job with their men’s sprint program
Honestly this will be good for him, Tennessee has done so good with sprinters
Why if he did so well at Pitt, would he leave?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?
Is he getting a lot of money? I hate that that is the reason. I am sure that this is not a common feeling these days, but loyalty to his teammates and the coach that facilitated his success seem to be gone from the conversation.
I haven’t heard even a rumored number for him. But based on the market scale…it’s a decent chunk of change.
I hope his ACC & NCAA swims were worth 50-100k?
German men’s relays something to keep an eye on with Winkler & Koch continuing improvements.
Yen or dollars?
This is…swimming. He probably just looked to the venue he can train at for his best shot at the Olympic podium in 2028.
No info, just a guess.
I mean, if a coach facilitates enough success with these kinda guys, most of the time that’s the justification they need to move on to a bigger and “better” school with more resources.
Just kinda how…everything? works.
Oh YEA! We will take any swimmer who can get it done at SEC and NCAA! Welcome Julian to the land of coonskin caps, barefoot dancing, fast swimming, grits and Smokey Mountain magic.
You dun picked the perfect place to be supported by Germany, Tennessee and the USA!
VFE.
You forgot…”kissing cousins!”
IT’S A JOKE PEOPLE! RELAX!!!!!
Called this the day he entered the portal.
Death, taxes, and Tennessee having an elite lightskin sprinter.
Still think he should have stayed at Pitt
“lightskin sprinter”
Man, stop 😂
it’s true!
What is true? That you can not handle TN is a great place to swim? That Koch is not a “light skinned” sprinter and that somehow bothers you? Or that TN has big bucks to spend for foreign swimmers?
What?