Per GoBearcats:
Niko Palazeti, who spent six seasons on the strength and conditioning staff at Ohio State, was announced by Satterfield as the Bearcats’ Director of Football Sports Performance. He will lead a staff of five full-time strength coaches.
A strength training and conditioning coach at three Power 5 schools, he joined the Ohio State staff in January 2017. Palazeti was a three-year member of the Michigan State football team and a two-time Spartan letterwinner (2011 and 2012) before injuries prompted him to retire from the sport in 2013. His first full-time position as a strength and conditioning coach came in 2015 at Mississippi State University. After one season, he moved on to the University of Maryland.
The Buckeyes held a record of 67-9, won four Big 10 championships and advanced to three College Football Playoffs during Palazeti’s six years on staff.
“Niko comes to us as one of the most highly respected strength and conditioning coaches in the country,” Satterfield said. “His work on the staff at Ohio State was key to the team’s success. He has assembled a great team, and I’m looking forward to watching them interact with our student-athletes when we start our offseason program in the next few weeks.”
Joining Palazeti on UC’s football sports performance staff are:
- Christopher Friend, Associate Director of Football Sports Performance
- Brandon Garcia, Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance
- MyQuon Stout, Assistant Football Sports Performance Coach
- Scott Ethington, Assistant Football Sports Performance Coach
Friend spent the last five years as a member of the Ohio State performance staff. In addition to working with football during his time with the Buckeyes, he oversaw all aspects of strength and conditioning and performance for both the men’s and women’s ice hockey programs. The women’s ice hockey team won the 2022 NCAA National Championship.
Garcia most recently served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for UNLV football, beginning in the role in 2020. He previously served as strength and conditioning coach/sports performance assistant for football at the University of Maryland in 2018.
Stout spent the previous four seasons as an assistant strength coach for the University of Louisville football program. He wrapped up his playing career in 2018, spending five seasons at Appalachian State under Satterfield. He started 38 of 39 games over his final three seasons at Appalachian State, tallying 82 tackles and earning All-Sun Belt Conference honorable mention honors as a junior.
Ethington previously served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Marshall, beginning in the role in January of 2022. He worked with both the football and softball programs. Prior to Marshall, he was a strength and conditioning intern at Ohio State (2020-2021) and University of Maryland football (2019).
