Episode 3 is from one the strength coaches I respect the most in the game... Keith Swift. Swift is in his first season as assistant director of football strength & conditioning. He was hired Aug. 1, 2019.
Swift came to the Boilermakers from South Carolina State University, where he served as director of strength & conditioning since 2016. He oversaw all 14 varsity programs, with an emphasis on football, men’s basketball, softball and track & field. Among the athletes he coached was Darius Leonard, who went on to become the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 with the Indianapolis Colts.
Swift previously worked as an assistant strength & conditioning coach at the University of South Alabama (2014-16), working primarily with men’s basketball and track & field and assisting with football. From 2011 to 2014, Swift was the head strength & conditioning coach at Stillman College, where he created the first strength & conditioning program in school history, implemented year-round programs for 12 sports and taught an undergraduate course in weight training. He coached Jeff Henderson, who went to win a gold medal in the long jump at the 2016 Olympic Games.
His other experience includes three seasons (2008-2010) as a sports performance specialist with the Seattle Mariners organization. He spent two seasons with the Double-A West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx and one with the Single-A Clinton Lumberkings. Also during that time, Swift worked at the Parisi Speed School as a sports performance coach.
A four-year letterwinner as a defensive end on the Tennessee Tech University football team, Swift earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. He earned a master’s degree in sports administration through American Public University in 2019.
The Jackson, Tennessee, native is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Registered Strength Coach (RSCC) and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He also is a Certified College Strength Coach through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (SCCC) as well as a Sports Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting (USAW).