Try Being a Strength Coach on Social Media, that's what Rob Glass and his Staff are Doing
STILLWATER -- Sunday afternoon, the day before classes were scheduled to resume at Oklahoma State and spring football would have kicked back up with practice on Tuesday, Rob Glass is dropping off a weight-lifting belt for one of the Cowboy players coming back from spring break and going into a 14-day self quarantine. The assistant athletic director for athletic performance, Glass is in his 26th year at Oklahoma State and he may be staring down his greatest challenge as a coach of strength, speed, and conditioning. Head coach Mike Gundy, his staff and players, and Oklahoma State fans swear by Glass and the term used by Cowboy football players has been "body by Glass."
Never before has Glass had to work his physical development via long distance. Glass and his staff have to use video on the internet and social media now that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the World.
"The league (Big 12) has shut down everything," Glass explained. "No voluntary workouts through the end of March. We have a 14-day window where we have to keep everybody out and it is probably going to be a lot longer. Electronic is the only thing we can do."
Rob Glass is a major reason that Oklahoma State football has had success and head coach Mike Gundy calls him his most important hire.
Pat Kinnison - Pokes Report chief photographer
Glass did not waste anytime. He blasted his first email to the Oklahoma State football players while spring break was going on.
"It was something that they could do on any football field on their own," Glass explained. "We don't know what they have to utilize (for workouts). Some may have home equipment and some may have a high school coach that lets them use the weight room. Others may not have anything and we just have to use their own body weight, exercises and techniques that have been used for years."
Yes, college football players may need to channel their inner Herschel Walker, who was famous for using push-ups and sit-ups, thousands a day to develop that body and speed that dominated at Georgia, the USFL, and eventually the NFL.
The talk among college football media and fans is what the loss of spring football will do? I contend that it is better to have it the way Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, Baylor, Kansas, and Kansas State have it as opposed to TCU and a little with Texas Tech that got a lot of spring football in. Those schools and programs like Coastal Carolina and Connecticut that got all their spring football in were going to have their eight weeks of off-season lifting and physical development now.
"There's give and take to that," Glass told me. "Some coaches want to have spring practice early because if a player gets injured then there is a much better chance to have him back for the fall. I get that, but I think our players like the way we do it."
Glass also said, the Oklahoma State coaches may not agree, but if a Cowboy football team were equipped to deal this corona virus pandemic and missing spring practice this edition might be the best one.
"This is the best team from our standpoint, they are physically mature and they are mature by experience," Glass explained. "We don't have a bunch of rookies."
Quick to say it is not an ideal situation, Glass does have the Teamwork app that he and his staff can use to communicate with the players. They can do video and they can customize them for certain athletes and for athletes based on what they have to use in the way of workout equipment or lack there of.
In talking to Oklahoma State Director of Football Recruiting Todd Bradford, he showed concern that if there isn't a summer program then next season in college football could see more injuries than normal.
Glass said he is going to ask some of the Oklahoma State NFL alumni to impart on the current Cowboys players some wisdom.
"I'm going to get guys like Blake Jarwin, Tre (Flowers), Chris Carson, and Dez (Bryant) to do videos on how this is what it is like if you want to play in the NFL," Glass said of the idea. "There is no Coach Glass to get you out of bed and tell you to work out. You have to be self-motivated. It's like that in any job, you have to push yourself, so it is a good message."
In case you are wondering, Glass said if the summer program for conditioning for Cowboy Football slated to start June 6, starts close to on time then the team will be ready physically, but Glass understands right now, there are no guarantees and he and his staff will have to write a playbook for the situation as it develops.
