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Florida Gators adding Jesse Ackerman to strength staff

Untitled designby: Nick de la Torre02/24/24delatorre
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(U.S. Army photo by Megan Garcia, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Public Affairs)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators are hiring Jesse Ackerman as their new Associate Director of Player Performance. Ackerman brings a wealth of experience from college, the NFL, and the U.S. Army to the program.

Ackerman will serve as a veteran NFL assistant who has two decades in the industry and a sounding board for Tyler Miles, who was recently promoted to the Director of Strength and Conditioning.

Miles just completed his first season with the Gators after being hired as Florida’s director of player athletic development prior to the 2023 football season. There was a strong push from Florida players for Miles to take over the strength and conditioning program. He has garnered the respect of both the players and the coaching staff.

Ackerman will provide experience to pair with and serve as a sounding board for Miles.

This won’t be Ackerman’s first time in Gainesville. He served at the University of Florida from 2012 through 2015 with Will Muschamp and then Jim McElwain. It was in 2012 when Ackerman met Dan Quinn, who was Florida’s defensive coordinator at the time.

The relationship with Quinn helped Ackerman move to the NFL when Quinn was named the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Ackerman started as an assistant for OTA’s with the Falcons and worked his way up to being the team’s Head Strength and Conditioning coach.

Ackerman has two Masters degrees. One is clinical mental health counseling; the other is in exercise science. He has four certifications: Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Ackerman also holds certifications in Corrective Exercise Specialization (CES) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).

In addition to the hire of Ackerman, Florida coach Billy Napier is also currently in the process of interviewing candidates to bring another person in the area of sports science.

In-depth Interview with Jesse Ackerman

Ackerman Job History

YearJob
2002-2007Assistant Football Coach John Carrol University
2007-2008Iowa State Strength and Conditioning Coach
2008-2012Texas Strength and Conditioning Coach
2012-2015Florida Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning
2015-201675th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Army Strength and Conditioning Coach
2016-2021Atlanta Falcons Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
2021-2022Co/Founder & Coach Professional Coaches Group 360
2022XFL Head Performance Coach
2024-Florida Gators Associate Director of Player Performance

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