Building Grit in Big Ten Volleyball with Eddie Ramirez

Presence, Not Permanence | Ryan Horn

Ryan Horn has spent 20 years building strength programs, and almost none of that time has looked stable from the outside. Horn's path runs through Robert Morris, Virginia Commonwealth (where he became the school's first full-time strength coach), Tulsa, and seven years at Wake Forest under Danny Manning. After being let go from Wake Forest following COVID, Horn spent two years outside college athletics entirely, training soldiers with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Savannah, Georgia. From there it was Wichita State, Drake, a return home to West Virginia, and now Indiana. Horn and host Connor Agnew dig into what that kind of instability actually teaches a coach. Horn's answer keeps coming back to one idea: stop chasing permanence and start chasing presence. Roles end. Jobs change. What matters is whether you were fully in it while you had it. He connects this directly to mentorship, arguing that a good mentor's job gets harder, not easier, because they take the time to teach instead of just execute. And he's candid about the trap of comparing career timelines on social media, pointing out that the context and luck behind someone else's fast rise almost never makes it into the post. The conversation closes on family. Horn's son is now an Olympic weightlifter who interns under him at Indiana, and Horn talks openly about what it's meant to coach alongside his own kid, and about how losing both his parents in recent years reshaped how he thinks about time with the athletes and people in front of him right now. KEY TAKEAWAYS - Seek presence and impact in a role, not permanence. Every job has an expiration date, and treating it otherwise costs you the time you actually have in it. - A real mentor's job gets harder, not easier, because they take the time to teach instead of just execute. - Comparing your career timeline to someone else's on social media ignores the context and luck behind their path. - Avoid becoming the coach who dismisses a new idea because "we did that 20 years ago." Curiosity is the job, not a phase of it. - Losing both parents reshaped how Horn thinks about finite time with his family and his athletes. QUOTE BLOCK "There's no permanence in any role. It's just presence." - Ryan Horn, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Indiana University

Building Grit in Big Ten Volleyball with Eddie Ramirez

Eddie Ramirez took an unconventional route into strength and conditioning. He spent his teenage years and early twenties as a competitive breakdancer before a friend showed him that college strength coaching was even a career path. Internships at Syracuse and Texas followed, and by the time he wrapped his stint with Texas football in 2019, he knew this was what he wanted to do for good. Now in his fourth year at Indiana University, Ramirez works with volleyball, men's and women's swimming and diving, and men's golf. Volleyball has been his primary focus, and he's been direct with his athletes from day one. Competing with programs like Wisconsin, Purdue, and Nebraska, teams that lean on deep talent pools, meant Indiana needed something else to close the gap. Ramirez calls it grit, and he builds it by refusing to sugarcoat hard training while staying honest with his athletes about his own tough stretches. That same directness shapes how he works with the program's international athletes. Rather than expecting them to adjust to a new sport system and a new country on the same timeline as everyone else, Ramirez has taught himself greetings and coaching cues in his athletes' native languages, including Russian and Turkish, to shorten the adjustment period and build trust early. Key Takeaways - Competing with programs that out-talent you requires a deliberate culture decision, not just harder workouts. Ramirez tells his volleyball team upfront that training will be uncomfortable, and backs it up by being vulnerable about his own hard moments. - International athletes are managing two adjustments at once: a new training system and a new country. Ramirez shortens that gap by learning basic phrases and coaching cues in their language. - Skill progression should be athlete-paced, not calendar-paced. If a full clean takes a year to teach safely, that's the timeline he uses. - His own path into the field was nontraditional. Five years as a competitive breakdancer came before he even knew college strength and conditioning existed as a job. - He's actively working to close a skill gap this year: getting sharper with GPS and data tracking through Catapult. Quote Block "It's not because I hate you guys or think you're out of shape. We've got to have a little extra when we're competing against these big-name teams." - Eddie Ramirez, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, Indiana University

Building Better Coaches with Devin Young

Devin Young, Senior Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Pittsburgh, did not take a straight path into the profession. He grew up chasing a hockey career through the junior ranks, walked on at Fitchburg State, and did not make the team. That setback pushed him into exercise science and a string of internships at UMass Lowell, Eastern Michigan, Princeton, St. Francis, and James Madison before he landed his first full time job at North Carolina A&T. Young was the department's director during COVID, running a football strength program with roughly 100 athletes, five platforms, a fraction of the normal equipment, and a single part time, uncertified assistant. He walks Connor Agnew through the daily problem solving that era demanded and how it shaped the coach and communicator he is today. The conversation centers on what Young says has done more for his growth than any book: investing directly in mentors through site visits, cohorts, and phone calls, because a mentor can answer the follow up question a book cannot. He connects that philosophy to Pitt's staff culture, weekly continuing education, and the summer internship program he now runs, where he is trying to give young coaches the same head start his own mentors gave him. * Young's fastest growth as a coach came from investing in mentors and site visits rather than books alone, calling it the difference between reading about a problem and actually getting it answered. * Directing a strength program during COVID with no staff and constantly rotating athlete pods forced Young to build rapid problem solving and communication skills that still define how he coaches today. * Pitt's staff runs weekly continuing education and full peer reviewed program audits, using force plate data and KPIs to catch blind spots without turning it into a competition. * Posting workouts and running a handwritten whiteboard series forces him to be certain of what he is teaching before it goes public, sharpening his own knowledge in the process. * Pitt's summer internship runs on daily meetings, a full 15 week programming project, guest round tables with outside coaches, and live coaching drills that get progressively harder, built to give interns the same mentorship head start he got. "I'm a big believer in finding people who are doing what you believe in and reaching out to them. Go intern for them. That's the best way to learn, because now you're hands-on, learning and doing at the same time." Guest: Devin Young, Senior Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, University of Pittsburgh * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devin_sc_coach/ [https://www.instagram.com/devin_sc_coach/] * Versatile Training Academy, Devin's side company (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/vta_sports_performance_/ [https://www.instagram.com/vta_sports_performance_/] | linktr.ee/VTAcademy [https://linktr.ee/VTAcademy] * University of Pittsburgh Strength & Conditioning (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/pitt_sportsperformance/ [https://www.instagram.com/pitt_sportsperformance/] * Devin's staff bio, Pitt Athletics: https://pittsburghpanthers.com/staff-directory/devin-young/3836 [https://pittsburghpanthers.com/staff-directory/devin-young/3836] * Talkin' Pitt Podcast: Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3oJDVPMKYK2erbS0dSNgt2] | Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-pitt-by-pitt-sports-performance/id1677557747] Keywords: Devin Young, University of Pittsburgh, Pitt strength and conditioning, strength coach mentorship, COVID training protocols, program audits, continuing education, Talkin' Pitt podcast, internship program, Connor Agnew, Samson Strength Coach Collective

Flip the Switch with Morgan McCrary

On this episode of the Samson Strength Coach Collective, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at UT Tyler, Morgan McCrary, joins us to discuss his journey through nearly every corner of the strength and conditioning profession. From JUCO athletics and private sector coaching to the collegiate level, Morgan explains how each experience shaped his coaching philosophy. Throughout the conversation, Morgan emphasizes that relationships, communication, and trust are the foundation of every successful program. He shares how he builds athlete buy-in, develops accountability, and encourages athletes to "flip the switch" once they step into the weight room. Morgan also reflects on overcoming setbacks, staying motivated throughout his career, and why adapting your coaching to the environment and athlete is essential for long-term success. Key Takeaways * Building trust starts with genuine relationships and consistent communication. * Every coaching environment offers valuable lessons that shape long-term growth. * Athletes perform best when expectations and accountability are clearly established. * Adaptability is one of the most valuable traits a strength coach can possess. * Career setbacks become opportunities when approached with perseverance and a growth mindset. Quote "I call it flipping the switch. Whatever you've got going on outside of the weight room, when you're in the weight room, it's time to go." — Morgan McCrary

The Administrative Side of S & C with Bailee Sturgeon

On this episode of the Samson Strength Coach Collective, we sit down with Bailee Sturgeon, Coordinator of Certification and Education for the CSCCa. Bailee provides an inside look at the administrative side of strength and conditioning, explaining how certification, accreditation, continuing education, and conference planning all contribute to the profession's growth. She shares her journey from collegiate athlete to organizational leader, discusses the importance of mentorship and relationship building, and explains how maintaining high standards benefits coaches across the industry. Bailee also gives listeners an update on exciting initiatives coming from the CSCCa and encourages professionals to become more involved within the organization. Key Takeaways * How Bailee transitioned from athletics into organizational leadership. * What goes into maintaining the CSCCa certification process. * Why accreditation matters for the future of strength and conditioning. * The year-round work required to organize conferences and continuing education. * How strong relationships create opportunities throughout your career. * Advice for coaches interested in leadership and administrative roles. * New updates and opportunities available through the CSCCa. Quote: "It's always been about the people and giving back to the people... knowing what I do matters so much—not only to the strength coaches that matter to me, but also making sure the CSCCa certification maintains that gold standard." — Bailee Sturgeon