Tennessee football has made a significant move this offseason by hiring Derek Owings as their new strength and conditioning coach, a decision that has stirred quite a bit of excitement. Owings comes to the Volunteers after helping lead Indiana to a national championship, which makes this appointment particularly noteworthy.
In a remarkable twist, Owings is set to become the highest-paid strength and conditioning coach in the history of college football, as reported by Matt Zenitz. Last season, he was also pursued by USC, but he chose to stay with the Hoosiers at that time. However, the enticing offer from Tennessee's head coach Josh Heupel proved irresistible enough to entice him away from the reigning champions.
Coach Heupel expressed his enthusiasm for Owings’ hiring, stating, "Physical and mental toughness is paramount in everything we do year-round as a program. No one understands this better at a championship level than Derek. He will elevate our strength and conditioning program with a relentless mindset and forge strong relationships with our players. He has a proven track record of utilizing modern training methods to maximize speed and strength, while specializing in injury prevention. He also understands what it takes to build an elite nutrition program to ensure our players are set up for on-field success and durability. We are thrilled to welcome Derek and his wife, Riley, to Rocky Top!"
Following the announcement of his hiring, former players from Indiana took to social media to share their thoughts, and their excitement was palpable. Here’s a snapshot of their reactions:
- Charlie Becker (WR): "Gotta good one, guess I gotta be a little Vol now🤦♂️"
- D’Angelo Ponds (DB): "HIM"
- Carter Smith (OL): "Vols got a good one… gonna miss ya DO"
- Amare Ferrell (DB): "best in the business"
- Mike Katic (OL): "Better make sure Tenn has a good ping pong table 😓"
- James Carpenter (DL): "Yessssir🤝🤝"
- Zach Horton (TE): "Motion is medicine!!"
- Jailin Walker (LB): "start stops otw🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"
- Bryson Bonds (DB): "Da 🐐"
- CJ West (DL): "🐐"
- Myles Kendrick (WR): "🥲"
- Isaiah Jones (LB): "🐐"
- Rolijah Hardy (DL): "🤞🏾🥲"
- Tyrik McDaniel (DB): "🔥🔥"
- Miles Cross (WR): "💯"
- Chandler Whitmer (QB Coach/Co-OC): "The best in game. Do your thing @owingsderek"
With such enthusiastic endorsements from those who have worked closely with Owings, it's clear that Tennessee fans have much to look forward to. But what do you think? Will Owings bring the same success to Tennessee as he did with Indiana? Share your thoughts below!
