NORMAN — Jerry Schmidt is shifting to a new role.
Oklahoma’s long-time director of sports enhancement and strength and conditioning coach, known to players as “Schmitty,” returned to the program in Dec. 2021 when coach Brent Venables was hired. Schmidt had spent the previous four years as Texas A&M’s director of athletic performance after 19 seasons as the Sooners’ director of sports performance under coach Bob Stoops.
Advertisement
No more messin’ with Schmitty in the summertime. Schmidt, known for squeezing the most out of players during offseason workouts, will now be the program’s chief of staff, according to multiple reports. Schmidt will be replaced by OU associate director of sports performance James Dobson. OUInsider was first to report the move.
During over 30 years of working in strength and conditioning, Schmidt coached with teams that played in six national championship games as well as two College Football Playoff semifinals and a CFP first round, and has national title rings from OU (2000) and Florida (1996).
He has worked with seven Heisman Trophy winners: Kyler Murray (OU), Baker Mayfield (OU), Sam Bradford (OU), Jason White (OU), Danny Wuerffel (Florida), Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State) and Tim Brown (Notre Dame).
More: OU targeting Illinois deputy Roger Denny as next athletic director, per report
Jerry Schmidt, who first joined the Sooners in 1999, is back for his second stint as OU football strength coach.
Before being hired by OU in 2022, Dobson spent five seasons as associate athletic director for sports performance at Vanderbilt. Before that, he spent seven seasons as the Cornhuskers’ head football strength coach. Dobson also boasts coaching experience at SMU and as a student assistant at Wisconsin.
Advertisement
In 2012, Dobson was one of only 15 strength and conditioning coaches certified as a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
Schmidt graduated from Nebraska in 1986 and served as a student on the Nebraska staff under coach Tom Osborne and strength and conditioning coach Boyd Epley. He served two coaching stints at Notre Dame, getting his start on coach Lou Holtz’s staff in 1987 as an assistant and returning to South Bend as the strength and conditioning coordinator in 1989 after a year at Oklahoma State as director.
In his third season in charge of the Fighting Irish’s strength and conditioning program, Schmidt was named the 1991 Collegiate Strength Coach of the Year by USA Fitness. Prior to his time with the Sooners, he spent four seasons on coach Steve Spurrier’s Florida staff and helped the Gators win a national title, as well as the 1995 and ’96 SEC championships before following Stoops to Norman.
From 1999-2017, Schmidt helped OU to four national championship game appearances and 11 Big 12 championships. Since 2021, Schmidt has played a critical role in helping build Venables’ culture.
Advertisement
“He’s a detail guy, is super consistent and tough, but he’s reasonable,” Venables said in a statement when he hired Schmidt to return. “He’s the same guy whether you’re winning by 40 or down by 14.”
Venables will now aim to continue a similar culture under Dobson.
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jerry Schmidt shifting roles from Oklahoma football strength coach
