Since 2001, BYU Football has known only one man to run the strength & conditioning, and that was Jay Omer. Omer had a four-decade career in athletic performance at a variety of programs until he finally decided to retire this past season.
BYU has known about Omer’s decision to retire for many months now and has been conducting a search for the next strength & conditioning coach to try and find the right guy. We now have a resolution on the search and the next S&C headman at BYU will be Frank Wintrich. Wintrich held the same position at Conference USA’s University of North Texas.
Brett Vitto from the Denton Record-Chronicle broke the story on Wintrich to BYU Tuesday night.
From Vitto’s article, it states that Wintrich had passed on other schools in the past to stay at North Texas. While running the S&C program the past four seasons in Denton, North Texas won a bowl game (only third bowl win in school history) and built the Mean Green’s reputation as a physical football team.
Along with being at North Texas, Wintrich has made stops at South Florida, The Citadel, Utah State, and Arizona State.
Doing some research on Wintrich, he seems like the quintessential BYU hire; a young up-and-coming coach that will come at an affordable price ($105,000 in 2014 with UNT), but will make a noticeable difference in BYU’s performance in the weight room.
Watching this podcast featuring Wintrich, he seems like a knowledgeable individual and is all about optimization of the human body. Wintrich will bring BYU to the modern era of conditioning, which is something that many have felt BYU has needed in their training. Wintrich mentioned in this video that he works directly with the offensive and defensive lines, two positions that BYU is looking to get better production from with some of the toughest schedules in program history looming.
Wintrich meshes well with the makeup of this football staff under Mendenhall. Just look at Wintrich’s North Texas Football Performance Facebook page that he ran. There are quotes and terms like “grit” all over the thing. If that doesn’t sound like a Bronco Mendenhall strength & conditioning coach, I don’t know who would.
Wintrich did have grit when he played on the gridiron as a linebacker at Division II’s Kentucky Wesleyan as he went on to become a two-time All-American for the Panthers.
To get a better of Wintrich’s program he had at North Texas, he published an article in 2013 titled, “The Mean Green Way,” which consisted of 10 program principles.
BYU’s winter conditioning started up on January 5th and will carry into spring football which starts in March. Wintrich will be taking over the reigns this week.
Other positions that have still yet to be filled on the football staff include Director of Football Operations (Zach Nyborg to Oregon State) and Football Office Manager (Bronco’s assistant).