What Brady Collins is bringing as Director of Strength and Conditioning
It was just past midnight in Phoenix when Luke Fickell sat inside the Arizona Diamondbacks clubhouse in Chase Field between Jordan Turner and Braelon Allen. The first-year head coach revealed that fifth-year quarterback Chase Wolf was “on schedule to return.”
A half hour or so later, Wolf, coming off his first start at Wisconsin, was asked what other factors - along with being accepted into the real estate master's program - played into his decision to return for another year. He praised offensive coordinator Phil Longo and Fickell earlier in the interview, but the first coach he mentioned in this answer may have come as a surprise.
“I didn’t want to regret not playing another year,” Wolf said. “I think with what’s coming to Wisconsin, I’m excited to get to work with Brady Collins, the new strength coach. It kind of matched together. This is the sign I needed to come back.”
That work will get underway in the coming days.
Collins was able to meet members of the 2022 roster during a team dinner Tuesday evening. The regiment of winter workouts will get started Monday before the spring semester begins on the Jan. 24. That will mark the first session the new director of strength and conditioning will guide since making the move to Wisconsin from Cincinnati.
It was a move that drew a strong response from those around Cincinnati. Tre Tucker, the Bearcats' second leading receiver this past season, called Collins “The MAN The LEGEND” in a tweet, while a fan called the departure a “bigger loss than Fickell.”
In the days following the news of Fickell being hired at Wisconsin, Collins was part of the first set of reported coaching move, along with the additions of Mike Tressel and Colin Hitchsler. Collins and Fickell have worked together since 2015 when Fickell was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State. When Fickell took the job at Cincinnati, he brought Collins with him as well.
“I was so fortunate in this business to get my wagon connected to Coach Fick,” Collins told BadgerBlitz.com. “It started at Ohio State building a relationship with him, being around him and the linebacker crew at Ohio State. Him seeing how much I did, not just being a strength coach but taking care of the guys, being there for them, having plans, having drinks and snacks and checking all their body weights. Just being someone they can always count on.
"I think Fick saw that and his philosophies, his mindset, his work ethic matches how I am, so when he got the opportunity to go to Cincinnati, it was a no-brainer. I felt just on top of the world because I was with the ultimate human being in my mind. When I think of Coach Fick, obviously he’s a hell of a coach and the resume is there for him, but for me he motivates me."
It was also reported that Collins was highly sought after. He opted to join the staff at Wisconsin over “numerous” other lucrative opportunities.
“I’ve always said this quote since back in the day,” Collins said. “If Fick took the head job at Alaska, I’m there, just because that’s how much I believe in him, how much I love working for him and I know in time the results are going to be there.”
The two now turn to developing Wisconsin’s roster with players return from a three-week break that started on Dec. 28. Early enrollees and returning players trickled into Madison at the start of the week for what’s called a discretionary week. Nothing is mandated and there are no set times to be in the building.
First-year players came in for baseline evaluations. With things ramping up in a week, Collins' remodeling of the facility is nearly complete with just a few pieces of equipment on the way.
There is fresh paint and new lights throughout the building, and equipment was moved around so the place can be set up the way they’d like it. The two major mantras Collins and the staff emphasize are T.E.A.M., which stands for together everyone achieves more, as well as iron sharpens iron.
“Just kind of going back to how you can’t do this alone,” Collins said. “If you want to be the best version of yourself, you have to have others around you pushing you and holding you accountable to be that. Even if you are the starting middle linebacker and I’m the backup, because I care so much about you I’m going to be working my ass off every day to selfishly beat you out. But also knowing that if you do get that starting job - well, one, I’m proud of you because I know you’ve earned it because I’ve seen you work hard and I’ve helped push you and hold you accountable - I’m going to be ready to step in so that I can continue doing what it is to continue playing at a high level.
“But a big one for me is definitely iron sharpens iron. The Fe squared kind of goes into all of it. I can only be the best version of myself if others are pushing me, but the Fe squared has a deeper meaning to it but the kids don’t know it yet. I haven’t really said it to them yet.”
During a team dinner Tuesday, Collins was able to provide a glimpse into what was to come for the group. “A little taste” of what’s in store, as he put it. In the coming weeks, Collins plans to meet individually with each student-athlete to learn “what makes them tick.”
“See if there’s anything I can connect with them on the current level and the superficial level because the thing that I pride myself on and my entire staff is building real relationships,” he said. “It’s not just about getting them to do things in the weight room and all that stuff, it’s about genuinely ripping open our chests and giving them our hearts, and in turn asking that from them, which is easier said than done. That’s got to be built through time, through trust, respect and ultimately love, so really looking forward to that.”
In the weight room, Collins brings with him a style that helped developed nine players at Cincinnati to be drafted into the NFL. A philosophy he called “progressive overload” that emphasizes safety and durability for the athletes.
“We focus on ground-based movements. We focus on training through all phases of movements,” Collins explained. “I’m not big into olympic lifting because that can put stress on your hands, your wrist, your elbows, all those things. And one position on the field where you can play without all those is probably just one - the kicker - and I’m not going to risk that.
“We really pride ourselves on properly warming up and going through the mechanics and being not just great lifters, great football players, but being healthy, being mobile, being flexible and more importantly is being durable. That’s one of my biggest sayings is durability is way more important than ability.”
The facilities for the next few months will likely radiate the same energy that is currently hovering around the football program.
“It's intense, it’s competitive, it’s in your face, it’s hands on, the music is loud, the energy is high, there is urgency in everything we do, but it’s all done in a safe way,” Collins said.
That kind of environment could only be generated with that kind of messaging and excitement from the head man. Bringing experience that spans five Olympic sports along with stops at Kentucky, Mississippi State and the Cincinnati Bengals, the first-year director of strength and conditioning brings a high motor to Madison.
“I’m humbled and honored and jacked to serve them and I think it’s just my personality. I am a high energy, very positive type of guy, and I think kids need that,” Collins said. "The one thing I always try to say is the weight room is your sanctuary… I want kids to look forward to coming into the weight room. I think that could be one of the big things, too.
“I try to make it an environment that the kids enjoy and embrace and look forward to coming into. Hopefully the style that we train - I’m not trying to be selfish but I know it works and it’s not like I’m set in ways. I’m always evolving, have a great staff that allows me to be at my best and I think it’s just we do things the right way, we’re honest and there’s proven results there.”
Until the team gets back on the field for spring practices at the tail end of March, the group will be under Collins' watch. Just as important as the metrics are, character is right up there in terms of development.
“The months of January, February and March, that is your time to train and to get healthy from the previous year and put on lean mass and focus on the explosive things that you have to do," Collins said. "Because for me it’s all about building them to be not only the best football player they can be, but the best person they can be.
“I even told the guys today, I don’t care what you bench and squat. Heavy benches and squats, those are great but what I love more is seeing you take care of the little things all the time.”
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