One of the biggest part about playing college and professional football is your form and strength. Off-season weight room and conditioning sprints are important parts, especially keeping your body hydrated with the right amount of water and Gatorade/Powerade. The athletic trainers are important, but the leader in that category is the strength and conditioning coach. YSU’s new strength and conditioning coach has work to do.
In the past few seasons, YSU’s strength and conditioning program was led by Terry Grossetti, who runs his own program in New Castle, Pennsylvania called Grossetti Performance. However, after this past season, coach Doug Phillips needed a change at the position.
The Change
On January 28th it became official. Jimmy Rodenberg became the Head Football Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for the Penguins. Rosenberg brings experience with him especially in the Ohio Area. His experience is extensive. He was the Strength and Conditioning coach at Grand Valley State University, and an assistant at Cincinnati The Bearcats just made it to their first ever college football playoff. He now joins the Youngstown State Penguins.
Rodenberg played football at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati and continued his academic and athletic career at Ashland University. He is also a graduate from Ohio State University, earning his degree back in 2017. According to his Linkden profile, he helped out a bit with their strength and conditioning as well. This experience can prove beneficial for the upcoming season.
At Archbishop Moeller, Rodenberg had big success in his senior season in 2012. He was named second team All-Greater Catholic League, had 86.5 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. He also won a state championship in both football and baseball.
What To Expect
The hire is expected to bring an FBS/Division I level workout regimen to the Youngstown State program. The players should expect to be ready for tiring and harder workouts day in and day out. The goal this season is to upgrade the conditioning of the players to a higher level of fitness and endurance. , great attitude, great perseverance and a chance to make something great. This is expected to be a chance for the staff to have players ready to perform at a higher level. It’s nearing the end of January, so Spring camp is not that far off, followed by the Red and White game. YSU, like all teams will then head into intense Spring/Summer workouts. The results will show when the season starts in the Fall.
