RICHMOND, Ky. – Mark Naylor, the former football assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Michigan, has joined the Eastern Kentucky University football program as director of football sports performance, Head Coach Mark Elder announced today.
 
Naylor will oversee the strength and conditioning, and sports performance needs of the football team.  He spent the past seven years as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for Michigan's football team. 
 
He assisted in all aspects of the planning and implementation of the football team's yearlong strength and conditioning program while working under head coaches Brady Hoke and Jim Harbaugh.  He also served as liaison between the athletic medicine and strength and conditioning staffs, collaborating with the athletic trainer regarding athletes' rehabilitation programs and exercise limitations as it pertained to strength and conditioning.  In addition he designed individualized nutrition plans for individual players and managed and analyzed testing results and data.
 
Before joining the Wolverine program, Naylor was the director of strength and conditioning for football at Ball State University for three years (2008-11).  He directed all aspects of the yearlong planning and implementation of the team's strength and conditioning program, oversaw the team's training table menus and pregame meals, and individualized/modified players' strength and conditioning programs based on needs.
 
Naylor has also served as a strength and conditioning assistant for the Baltimore Ravens (2006-07), football strength and conditioning graduate assistant at Ball State (2004-06), assistant strength and conditioning coach at Missouri Southern State University (2003-04) and strength and conditioning intern at Michigan State University (2003).
 
Naylor earned a bachelor's of science degree in exercise science and wellness at Missouri Southern in 2003 and a master's degree in higher education sports administration from Ball State in 2006.  He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
 
The Colonels will begin their 2018 season on August 30 at home against Morehead State University.