It’s two weeks before the start of spring practice and the weight room in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center is full.
There are only a handful of Ohio State football players, though. The ones there, including Donovan Jackson, Zen Michalski, Enokk Vimahi and others, aren’t lifting weights. Instead, they watch as the strength and conditioning staff, led by Mickey Marotti, hosts a clinic for high school coaches around the state and other strength training professionals.
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The event was staged in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Marotti and his staff spoke about what Ohio State does to prepare its athletes for the season. It was a special time to reconnect with people he hadn’t seen in years.
“I think the value is to help provide some education for coaches, strength professionals and everybody involved,” Marotti said.
It’s something that is built to help the Buckeyes in the future.
As Marotti said during his presentation, what his staff taught on Saturday can help strength coaches prepare potential Ohio State prospects for when they arrive on campus.
“I was talking about how we rely a lot on our high school strength coaches to help develop them as they get here. That’s the other reason you do this, to help that,” Marotti said. “Nowadays you have to be ready to play. If we can help that system by promoting strength and conditioning, fitness and all the sports science, I think it helps everybody.”
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As the 2022 season wrapped up, Ohio State lost a few people behind the scenes to other programs, including Quinn Barham, who was hired as the director of strength and conditioning at Coastal Carolina. Barham was previously the assistant director of strength and conditioning at Ohio State, tasked with doing a lot of the scheduling for the clinic. When he left, the staff was put in a bind.
“I’m like, there’s so much involved in putting together a clinic like this,” Marotti said.
Heather Mason, Ohio State’s senior director for sport performance, took over the logistics of the event. It went off without a hitch.
Marotti opened the day speaking to the crowd about Ohio State’s offseason plan and how he establishes the culture in the program. Marotti is one of the most important people in the program. Though he’s not an on-field coach, Marotti spends more time with the players in the offseason than anyone else.
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“If you can impress him, then you’re on the right track,” offensive coordinator Brian Hartline said. “I’ve never seen a guy impress coach Mick and not be on the field.”
Impressing Marotti starts with accountability. In the weight room, one of the team’s biggest goals is for the players to hold teammates accountable. When a player is doing a rep in the weight room, the spotter must be just as engaged, pushing and correcting any mistakes.
Kenny Parker, Ohio State’s senior associate director of strength and conditioning, said he spends as much time coaching up the spotter during workouts. Marotti also talked about the constant competition that drives players in the weight room.
But the day wasn’t meant just for Marotti to talk. He also wanted to learn from people like Frank Piraino, the Tennessee Titans’ director of sports performance, and Mike Clark of the Detroit Lions.
“For me, I want to ask the questions of a Frank Piraino of what he’s seen,” Marotti said. “I want to talk to Mike Clark about when you get a Buckeye who goes to the Lions, where do they fit or stand up? Are they prepared? Which I think they are. Just to hear that feedback and what’s out there new.”
After Piraino spoke, two other Ohio State staff members presented before lunch, including Parker and Kaila Olson, the head football performance dietitian.
Having multiple staff members speak was important for Ohio State.
“The Ohio State University athletic department strength staff is here as a resource,” Marotti said. “We will try to help as much as we can.”
It was also a chance for Turner, Olson and others to network and discuss their career journey and what they do at Ohio State.
“It’s a great platform for our staff to grow as a professional and a coach,” Marotti said. “It’s great to see.”
Parker demonstrated how the staff coaches in the weight room. Olson went into detail about what goes into setting a diet plan for each athlete, including differences in how they eat and hydrate. The challenge comes with customizing plans for each player and what their body needs.
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“It takes a while and it depends on the player,” Olson said. “Some grasp it right away and some it takes them two years. It’s really getting to know the player, how they grew up and what they grew up with — it helps. Then they can trust you.”
When Olson was done with her presentation, there were multiple questions about the best ways to keep players hydrated or help them gain weight. The added interest in nutrition was promising to Olson.
“It shows that it’s continuing to grow and continuing to help the players get the best out of their performance,” Olson said.
Beyond the clinic, Olson and the strength and conditioning staff are busy preparing the newest generation of Ohio State players, working with the Class of 2023 freshmen who enrolled early to get their bodies in the right shape for spring football.
Marotti described the new arrivals as “hungry and doing a good job” and said he’s pleased with the team as a whole through five weeks of winter workouts as Ohio State football begins to take shape for the 2023 season.
“Every team is different. Every day is a learning opportunity and guys are working hard,” he said. “The fun part of the offseason for us is the team gets molded and you see it matriculate as we go.”
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(Photo: Joseph Maiorana / USA Today)
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