Colorado State University Athletics
McLafferty Set to Begin Building Rams' Football Players
1/21/2020 3:27:00 PM | Football
Head strength and conditioning coach starts setting tone Wednesday
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Not knowing what he was going to see, Scott McLafferty knew what he was looking for in his new office space.
Officially Colorado State football's new strength and conditioning coach as of today, his wants cross the quality/quantity threshold, and at Canvas Stadium, he was hit by the "wow" factor.
"The weight room has to be lined up for that to work, and my biggest thing is, do we have to move in and out of a rack, or can we stay in one location and get multiple things done," McLafferty said. "That's' what you can do in this weight room, is be able to stay within that rack and get everything you need done. Later in the workout you might move in and out, but to be efficient, you have to be able to stay in one spot and get all of that done."
In his role, McLafferty is tasked with maxing out the potential on the CSU roster, a process which begins Wednesday. The job requirement isn't just what they can lift and how far and fast the players can run, but how much they can withstand.
Addazio brought McLafferty over from Boston College, where he finished his first season in the same role with the Eagles. His resume extends well beyond, starting back at Oklahoma State in 2001, making stops at Louisiana Tech (his alma mater), Rice and Texas.
Taking the best of what he learned from his mentors in those places, and blend them with his personality and beliefs, has led him to a system he is confident will help the Rams succeed. So does Addazio.
"I just think Scott is an elite strength coach in America. He has a tremendous background, tremendous experience," Addazio said. "I think his knowledge in training football players, his knowledge in the nutritional aspect of developing football players is phenomenal. I think he has a tremendous way of communicating with the student-athletes, and I think there's a great trust factor between him and the student-athletes which allows him to push them in the areas they need to be pushed, but I also think he does a great job in they know he cares about them and loves them, so I think that leads to a great working relationship.
"He's going to be fair and consistent and caring and professional."
His program was the first extensive glimpse the players have into the direction of the new coaching staff, making his immediate goal one of setting the right tone. He doesn't believe one philosophy works best, but there will be an intensity level as he explained his ground-based system will incorporate variations of everything needed to reach the ultimate goal.
"It's really just trying to make a sound athlete," McLafferty explained. "You're trying to say hey, we're not powerlifters, we're not Olympic lifters in the weight room. We are trying to build an athlete, and you combine all those techniques, but you're not looking to be great at one. You're trying to combine all of those techniques and everything outside so that when we hand them off to the coaches, they're the best they can be, the best genetically they possibly can be."
To get there, respect has to be earned on both sides of the bench. McLafferty knows he's going to have to earn it from the players in order for them to advance, and they'll have to earn his by being diligent in their work and effort.
There are going to be tough days, and McLafferty knows they're coming. When they hit, it's the job of he and his staff to see the players through to the other side.
"I would hope to say that I'm passionate and I try to bring the energy," McLafferty said. "I know players are going to have off days, they're going to have down days, but we can't have off days as a staff. If morale is down, or we're six weeks into an eight-week program and you're hitting that wall and you have to get over that hump, you have to bring it, and you have to set the tone every day. It's got to be fun, and it's got to be exciting."
Officially Colorado State football's new strength and conditioning coach as of today, his wants cross the quality/quantity threshold, and at Canvas Stadium, he was hit by the "wow" factor.
"The weight room has to be lined up for that to work, and my biggest thing is, do we have to move in and out of a rack, or can we stay in one location and get multiple things done," McLafferty said. "That's' what you can do in this weight room, is be able to stay within that rack and get everything you need done. Later in the workout you might move in and out, but to be efficient, you have to be able to stay in one spot and get all of that done."
In his role, McLafferty is tasked with maxing out the potential on the CSU roster, a process which begins Wednesday. The job requirement isn't just what they can lift and how far and fast the players can run, but how much they can withstand.
Addazio brought McLafferty over from Boston College, where he finished his first season in the same role with the Eagles. His resume extends well beyond, starting back at Oklahoma State in 2001, making stops at Louisiana Tech (his alma mater), Rice and Texas.
Taking the best of what he learned from his mentors in those places, and blend them with his personality and beliefs, has led him to a system he is confident will help the Rams succeed. So does Addazio.
"I just think Scott is an elite strength coach in America. He has a tremendous background, tremendous experience," Addazio said. "I think his knowledge in training football players, his knowledge in the nutritional aspect of developing football players is phenomenal. I think he has a tremendous way of communicating with the student-athletes, and I think there's a great trust factor between him and the student-athletes which allows him to push them in the areas they need to be pushed, but I also think he does a great job in they know he cares about them and loves them, so I think that leads to a great working relationship.
"He's going to be fair and consistent and caring and professional."
His program was the first extensive glimpse the players have into the direction of the new coaching staff, making his immediate goal one of setting the right tone. He doesn't believe one philosophy works best, but there will be an intensity level as he explained his ground-based system will incorporate variations of everything needed to reach the ultimate goal.
"It's really just trying to make a sound athlete," McLafferty explained. "You're trying to say hey, we're not powerlifters, we're not Olympic lifters in the weight room. We are trying to build an athlete, and you combine all those techniques, but you're not looking to be great at one. You're trying to combine all of those techniques and everything outside so that when we hand them off to the coaches, they're the best they can be, the best genetically they possibly can be."
To get there, respect has to be earned on both sides of the bench. McLafferty knows he's going to have to earn it from the players in order for them to advance, and they'll have to earn his by being diligent in their work and effort.
There are going to be tough days, and McLafferty knows they're coming. When they hit, it's the job of he and his staff to see the players through to the other side.
"I would hope to say that I'm passionate and I try to bring the energy," McLafferty said. "I know players are going to have off days, they're going to have down days, but we can't have off days as a staff. If morale is down, or we're six weeks into an eight-week program and you're hitting that wall and you have to get over that hump, you have to bring it, and you have to set the tone every day. It's got to be fun, and it's got to be exciting."
Inside the Nickelback Room | Colorado State Football | Rams Live
Monday, April 27
Inside the Safety Room | Colorado State Football | Rams Live
Friday, April 24
Inside the Wide Receiver Room | Colorado State Football | Rams Live
Sunday, April 19
Colorado State Football: Jim Mora Final Spring Practice Presser
Friday, April 17