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Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee officially announces the hiring of Rock Gullickson as director of strength and conditioning

Michael Wayne Bratton

By Michael Wayne Bratton

Published:

In a move that had been rumored for several weeks now, Tennessee as officially named Rock Gullickson its new director of strength and conditioning. Gullickson has spent the last several seasons in the NFL, working for the LA/St Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints. Prior to working in the NFL, Gullickson worked with Tennessee head coach Butch Jones at Rutgers.

This is a crucial hire for Jones, as his team was devastated by injury last season. Now with Gullickson on board and leading the offseason workouts, there’s at least some promise that any mistakes made last offseason can be corrected under the guidance of one of the game’s most respected strength and conditioning coaches.

Gullickson comes to Knoxville with quite the resume in NFL circles, as he won NFL Strength Coach of the Year in 2007 and is annually the strength coach at the NFL Combine helping oversee draft prospects’ attempts at the bench press.

“We are estactic to welcome Rock Gullickson and his wife, Terry, into the Tennessee family,” Jones said in a statement announcing the hire. “I’ve personally known Rock for more than 20 years and know what he stands for as a coach and a person. He fits the culture we are continuing to build at UT and he has a comprehensive plan that I truly believe our players will greatly benefit from.

“He is passionate about his work, a tireless worker, detail-oriented and has a tremendous track record of developing and motivating players to reach their maximum potential. The strength staff spends more time with our players than anyone and he, along with our current staff, will provide our players with the type of training needed to compete at the highest level.”

Here’s a chance for Tennessee fans to get to know the school’s new strength coach:

Michael Wayne Bratton

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com

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