How Mizzou’s new football strength coach is getting the Tigers ready for kickoff
Missouri Tigers strength and conditioning coach Zac Woodfin has seen outside factors control who’s allowed in and out of his gym.
During Woodfin’s first year with the Green Bay Packers in 2011, the NFL went into a lockout — meaning players couldn’t get into their teams’ facilities. Woodfin said he remembers seeing more players with lower-leg and Achilles injuries because NFL teams rushed them back too quickly after the pause ended.
Woodfin’s in a similar situation now as Mizzou student-athletes return to campus for voluntary workouts, which started Monday for some. Players endured about a three-month void of physical team activities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Planning for that and how we’re preparing our guys when they come back will be key — how we try to start practice and slowly implement football when the time is right,” Woodfin said during a Wednesday video call. “I was thankful to have that situation (in Green Bay) to look back on, learn from and try not to make the mistakes that some NFL teams made back in 2011.”
He said it’s his responsibility to not only get the players in shape for the season, but also to plan diligently for however the pandemic might alter the current schedule.
Woodfin isn’t allowed to disclose voluntary workout specifics because of NCAA rules, but he said Mizzou is employing an abundance of caution right now. Everyone is screened before they enter the building, for instance, and players are separated at least six feet apart, Woodfin said.
“We spent a large part of the break planning,” Woodfin said. “Planning for multiple situations. We didn’t really know exactly what was going to happen until late(ly). We had a ton of plans, talked to a lot of different people whom I respect throughout the profession — NFL, college — and I just really did my due diligence.”
While Woodfin hasn’t been around the MU program long — he was hired by new MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz in December — he said he’s already built a foundation of trust and respect with the MU players. As part of their offseason workouts, the Tigers worked diligently for seven weeks with Woodfin and his four-person staff in person starting in January. That’s where the two sides built up a bond.
When the novel coronavirus forced players to head home in mid-March, Woodfin and his coaches were only allowed to send them suggested workout plans. But he said the vast majority of them proved to be self-starters. They didn’t slack off during the break.
“This has never happened before,” Woodfin said. “The key is you have a great plan but you also have the thought of, ‘How can we be really flexible and creative if the plan doesn’t go exactly as we hoped?’ That’s really what we’re doing now. It’s just obviously a voluntary phase, but I’m trying to execute the plan through a lot of thinking and planning.”
This week’s implementation of voluntary workouts represents a solid step toward the 2020 football season beginning on time. Coaches might start working onfield with players in early July, according to a report from Sports Illustrated. That would allow a two-month leadup period before the season kicks off — Mizzou’s first scheduled game is against Central Arkansas Sept. 5 at Faurot Field.
“I do believe two months is enough time to have our team ready to win,” Woodfin said. “We need to be very strategic in what we do and how we do it. We need to make sure we follow the plan to a ‘T’ and have great communication with our medical staff, our coaches, our athletic performance (staff). That’s what we have here.”
For now, NCAA players can only take guidance from strength staffs — not actual coaches. That means Woodfin is in the unique position of getting ample exposure to Mizzou’s players while football coaches like Drinkwitz are relegated to virtual film sessions.
Woodfin said being able to work in the school’s facilities again is a positive. His days before and during the pandemic have started at 5:30 a.m., and with student-athletes back, he has plenty to do.
“Now that we’re back, it’s not a building phase,” Woodfin said. “It’s more that they know each other really well during the seven weeks in January. Things were able to improve. It’s building upon a great foundation and relationships that we already have.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 8:05 PM.