This offseason, Tennessee football had some major shakeups to its coaching staff. Along with Jim Knowles being hired as the new defensive coordinator and filling out his defensive staff, Josh Heupel also tabbed a new director of football sports performance, Derek Owings.
Owings joins from the staff of Indiana, the reigning national champions. Reportedly, he will make $1.2 million per year, marking the most of any strength coach in college football history.
Already, Owings is making an impact on the Vols. On Wednesday, UT posted a graphic detailing the progression the team has made in the weight room from January to May, a 14-week period. So far, the team has added a total of 867.3 pounds of muscle, lost 218.1 pounds of fat and 33 players have added 11 pounds or more of muscle mass.
we’ve been working. 🚧#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/BcY6YIF3Wb
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) May 6, 2026
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Since arriving on campus, players have only spoken glowingly with the media about the changes to the strength and conditioning program since Owings’ arrival on campus. Multiple players noted that they’ve already felt stronger during the course of spring camp than usual.
“Physical and mental toughness is paramount in everything we do year-round as a program,” Heupel said after hiring Owings. “No one understands this better at a championship level than Derek. He will elevate our strength and conditioning program with a relentless mindset and forge strong relationships with our players.
“He has a proven track record of utilizing modern training methods to maximize speed and strength, while specializing in injury prevention. He also understands what it takes to build an elite nutrition program to ensure our players are set up for on-field success and durability. We are thrilled to welcome Derek and his wife, Riley, to Rocky Top!”
USC also went after Owings, a 32-year-old, ahead of last season, but he turned down the opportunity. The pitch and pay day from Josh Heupel and the Vols was enough to leave the reigning national champions, though.
Owings only joined Indiana two years ago when Curt Cignetti got the job, but he’s been with Cignetti for quite some time now. He initially joined his staff in 2020 at James Madison. He previously worked for one season with Heupel at UCF, as well.
