Giving Kurt Schmidt, strength coach, just a one year extension…

[VOLINVONORE]

Team looked horrible and out of shape with their shirts off at osu. You compare pics of them to fulmers teams and those guys were jacked. We also seem to get pushed around a lot on the o line.

They don't make many John Stuckey's anymore. He was the best of the best. His style was lift a lot of weight but do it quickly to improve quickness as well as strength. He still has a lot of his assistants who are in the strength and Condition business.

 

[brockytop]

Pretty sure that the vast majority of assistants are still on one year deals.

Honestly, I don’t follow it close enough to say definitively, but it seems that off the top of my head most assistants have multi year deals.

 

[GAVol]

Honestly, I don’t follow it close enough to say definitively, but it seems that off the top of my head most assistants have multi year deals.

I know that started becoming a thing with coordinators especially. Not sure if that’s made it down to position coaches.

 

[Carl Pickens]

He only got a one year extension after everyone saw the players out on the field with their shirts off at Ohio State

 

[barney]

I don’t know quite what to make of it. My immediate reaction is this is just a “give him one more year to see if there’s improvement“ versus it being retention due to confidence in the SC’s leadership and results.

Thoughts?

Think you are reading too much into it. All our assistants coaches and support staff work on 1 year deals. Thats just how Danny and Heup operate and it's probably pretty smart to not be locking yourself into multi year deals with staff.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

They don't make many John Stuckey's anymore. He was the best of the best. His style was lift a lot of weight but do it quickly to improve quickness as well as strength. He still has a lot of his assistants who are in the strength and Condition business.

Stucky was definitely one of the best and a real pioneer in player development. But when it comes to S&C in 2025, there are no "trade secrets" anymore. As a science, both S&C and nutrition have been disciplines long enough now that these guys know exactly what must be done to mold and shape these kid's bodies into what they need to be to compete in major college football. And I also don't think it has anything to do with access to certain equipment/facilities. A 45lb weight weighs just as much in the Anderson Training Center as it does at Georgia or Ohio State. Muscle Milk has the same taste and potency here as it does at Alabama. I think it comes down to the S&C coach properly motivating the players, the level of dedication from the players, and accountability for putting the work in. Frankly, in 2024 we didn't look like a team who put in the work in the weight room. Not at the level that it should've been IMO.

 

[Jimmyandjoes]

Stucky was definitely one of the best and a real pioneer in player development. But when it comes to S&C in 2025, there are no "trade secrets" anymore. As a science, both S&C and nutrition have been disciplines long enough now that these guys know exactly what must be done to mold and shape these kid's bodies into what they need to be to compete in major college football. And I also don't think it has anything to do with access to certain equipment/facilities. A 45lb weight weighs just as much in the Anderson Training Center as it does at Georgia or Ohio State. Muscle Milk has the same taste and potency here as it does at Alabama. I think it comes down to the S&C coach properly motivating the players, the level of dedication from the players, and accountability for putting the work in. Frankly, in 2024 we didn't look like a team who put in the work in the weight room. Not at the level that it should've been IMO.

The new frontier or pioneers will be the ones who use new peptides,those "for research purposes only" compounds that are not technically illegal. Think along the lines of BPC157,TB500,etc., that allow for faster repairing of tissue. They are out there,been out there,they work,are used in the healthcare community and are being used by programs.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

The new frontier or pioneers will be the ones who use new peptides,those "for research purposes only" compounds that are not technically illegal. Think along the lines of BPC157,TB500,etc., that allow for faster repairing of tissue. They are out there,been out there,they work,are used in the healthcare community and are being used by programs.

Good info! I had wondered if there was anything new on the horizon in terms enhancements/supplements that players were taking. I had also wondered if programs would start using any of the new weight loss suppressants like Ozempic and Mounjaro to get weight off of linemen.

 

[SpookyAction]

Good info! I had wondered if there was anything new on the horizon in terms enhancements/supplements that players were taking. I had also wondered if programs would start using any of the new weight loss suppressants like Ozempic and Mounjaro to get weight off of linemen.

Medical staff probably do prescribe weight loss shots for some players. Makes sense.

I bet the difference between the standard S&C coach and an elite one is their ability to successfully individualize the S&C regimen for each players' needs.
It takes the staff a while to gather data on each player in order to get dosage for meds and supplements, plus workout and exercise routines, to fit their needs. That work never ends.

 

[Jimmyandjoes]

Medical staff probably do prescribe weight loss shots for some players. Makes sense.

I bet the difference between the standard S&C coach and an elite one is their ability to successfully individualize the S&C regimen for each players' needs.

Definitely on the individual assessments.
On the weight loss drugs(wegovy,ozempic), some of those are known to make you terribly nauseous -to the point of incapacitation. It also makes you not want to eat. I know people who literally say-I forgot to eat today due to the cessation of hunger. It's extremely hard to build muscle, stamina, strength without proper eating and nutrition. Not saying they don't use it, but it's expensive and it's side effects are known to be great for losing weight but you also lose strength, muscle. You can forget practice when you're on the toilet peeing out of your butt.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Definitely on the individual assessments.
On the weight loss drugs(wegovy,ozempic), some of those are known to make you terribly nauseous -to the point of incapacitation. It also makes you not want to eat. I know people who literally say-I forgot to eat today due to the cessation of hunger. It's extremely hard to build muscle, stamina, strength without proper eating and nutrition. Not saying they don't use it, but it's expensive and it's side effects are known to be great for losing weight but you also lose strength, muscle. You can forget practice when you're on the toilet peeing out of your butt.

Yeah taking that stuff would definitely have to be highly monitored and only part of an off season regiment.

 

[SpookyAction]

I have taken Wegovy. It made me nauseous, but weight fell off because I couldn't eat. The worst part was I couldn't stand to drink water. Water made me instantly sick.
It was strange, and I was getting and staying dehydrated.

I took Saxenda to lose weight. It was a daily shot. It did not make me sick and I lost 65 pounds.

I bet they do prescribe those weight loss meds during off seasons, like now. You are correct, they could never prescribe them during practice months or football season.

 

[bpalmer28]

Our best LB and 3 best WRs all missed significant time. I'm sure there's more. That's just off the top of my head.

Of course there were injuries! It's football. There's always going to injuries, but we weren't decimated like in years past and the only serious injuries I can think of were Pili and Thomas. That's pretty remarkable to me.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Of course there were injuries! It's football. There's always going to injuries, but we weren't decimated like in years past and the only serious injuries I can think of were Pili and Thomas. That's pretty remarkable to me.

Are injuries always a direct result of some kind of breakdown in strength and conditioning though? I feel like sometimes we place way too much blame on S&C when a player tears an ACL or breaks a bone. You can't help that stuff. And yes, some seasons the injuries can feel like an epidemic. Sometimes it's just rotten luck. No matter how strong your body is, a ligament tear or broken bones, sprains, hamstring pulls, etc. can happen regardless. Your ligaments and bones can't get more muscular. There was one year under Fulmer, maybe 2002-2003, I want to say after the season there was something like 13 players that had to undergo some kind of surgery after the season. At that time, it was the most ever in our program by far. I'm pretty sure that was during Johnny Long's tenure as S&C coach. I don't think anybody suddenly was pointing the finger at him, saying it was his fault.

 

[SpookyAction]

I only blame S&C when we get manhandled in the trenches and there are consistent injuries among the roster.

Our S&C has trended up since Pruitt's hire. We are competitive in the trenches, but we have a lot of improvement needed to be elite.

In the 98 Orange Bowl, I knew the Nebraska Cornhuskers were juiced when they were tossing our players around in that 1st half. Our offensive and defensive lines and LBs were dominating some really good teams all season, then Nebraska players were making our big guys look overmatched.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Stucky was definitely one of the best and a real pioneer in player development. But when it comes to S&C in 2025, there are no "trade secrets" anymore. As a science, both S&C and nutrition have been disciplines long enough now that these guys know exactly what must be done to mold and shape these kid's bodies into what they need to be to compete in major college football. And I also don't think it has anything to do with access to certain equipment/facilities. A 45lb weight weighs just as much in the Anderson Training Center as it does at Georgia or Ohio State. Muscle Milk has the same taste and potency here as it does at Alabama. I think it comes down to the S&C coach properly motivating the players, the level of dedication from the players, and accountability for putting the work in. Frankly, in 2024 we didn't look like a team who put in the work in the weight room. Not at the level that it should've been IMO.

Technique is very an important part of S&C and different coaches have different ideas of what works best. There is a difference in what they teach and how they teach it. If not, every team would be the same as for as strength and mobility is concerned. My son I a S&C coach and he was trained under Stuckey. His football team in Georgia will outperform any other school in the Atlanta area and are almost always nationally ranked.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Technique is very an important part of S&C and different coaches have different ideas of what works best. There is a difference in what they teach and how they teach it. If not, every team would be the same as for as strength and mobility is concerned. My son I a S&C coach and he was trained under Stuckey. His football team in Georgia will outperform any other school in the Atlanta area and are almost always nationally ranked.

See, the first question I would ask is, if the results you're talking about from your son's S&C program are so undeniable, why aren't more programs simply recognizing that and mimicking it? After Nebraska manhandled us in 1997, I believe Fulmer and his staff actually visited Nebraska's facilities and talked to their trainers to get an idea of what they were doing to get such massive results. If memory serves, it was said that a big difference between their program and ours was they were putting a much larger emphasis on lifting free weights, where we were way more reliant on machines at the time. I also believe Nebraska was putting a greater emphasis on explosive movement in their conditioning.

It just seems to me by now, all the best ideas for S&C should have risen to the top to where all other things equal, these major college S&C programs should all be getting fairly identical results. ALL major college football players should be physically jacked and in elite shape!

 

[VOLINVONORE]

See, the first question I would ask is, if the results you're talking about from your son's S&C program are so undeniable, why aren't more programs simply recognizing that and mimicking it? After Nebraska manhandled us in 1997, I believe Fulmer and his staff actually visited Nebraska's facilities and talked to their trainers to get an idea of what they were doing to get such massive results. If memory serves, it was said that a big difference between their program and ours was they were putting a much larger emphasis on lifting free weights, where we were way more reliant on machines at the time. I also believe Nebraska was putting a greater emphasis on explosive movement in their conditioning.

It just seems to me by now, all the best ideas for S&C should have risen to the top to where all other things equal, these major college S&C programs should all be getting fairly identical results. ALL major college football players should be physically jacked and in elite shape!

Don't ask me why other coaches do. All I know is that Stuckey's system has been very successful at Tennessee, LSU and Southern Cal and other programs for a number of years. If you don't like it, its no skin off my back.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Don't ask me why other coaches do. All I know is that Stuckey's system has been very successful at Tennessee, LSU and Southern Cal and other programs for a number of years. If you don't like it, its no skin off my back.

You're misreading my intentions. I'm not questioning it. I'm just mystified why successful systems like Stuckey's aren't emulated more.

Who runs OSU's S&C program? Who did he study under? Because seeing us against that team was very reminiscent of that Nebraska game!

 

[VOLINVONORE]

You're misreading my intentions. I'm not questioning it. I'm just mystified why successful systems like Stuckey's aren't emulated more.

Who runs OSU's S&C program? Who did he study under? Because seeing us against that team was very reminiscent of that Nebraska game!

I don’t know much about OSU’s coaching staff, bur I really wish we had a few of their players

 

[wmcovol]

Heupel was barely able to field a team vs OSU. A lot of injuries by seasons end. Don’t know if it was strength coach, trainers, players or just bad luck.

 

[SpookyAction]

I thought our list of injured players in the playoff game was large, but I expect any team that makes it deeper in the playoffs will rack up injuries.
Dec 17, 2024 Tennessee Football Injury Report: Which Vols Did And Didn’t Practice Tuesday

 

[Vol865]

Of course there were injuries! It's football. There's always going to injuries, but we weren't decimated like in years past and the only serious injuries I can think of were Pili and Thomas. That's pretty remarkable to me.

Samp and Squirrel played injured all year. Just because they weren’t on the sidelines doesn't mean we didn't have to deal with injuries