Kalani Sitake Fires Two Members Of BYU’s Strength & Conditioning Staff

PROVO, Utah – BYU football will have a new strength and conditioning coach when they enter the Big 12 Conference next year.

Entering Monday, head strength & conditioning coach Nu’u Tafisi and assistant strength coach Justin McClure were not listed on BYU’s staff.

Kalani Sitake confirmed that strength coaches Nu'u Tafisi and Justin McClure will not be retained going forward. He thanked them for the role they played in the BYU football program.

Spencer Reid is the interim strength coach.#BYU #BYUFootball

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 12, 2022

KSL Sports asked Kalani Sitake for a comment on their status. The seventh-year head coach confirmed that both strength coaches were relieved of their roles on the staff.

BYU football strength & conditioning staff undergoes changes

Sitake thanked Tafisi and McClure for their efforts. Both were part of Kalani Sitake’s program since 2016. McClure had been involved with BYU athletics since 1999.

“I appreciate all the hard work they put into this program and the young men. They’ve done a great job,” Sitake said.

The 2022 season was another case of BYU being hit hard by injuries. Through 12 regular season games, BYU had 45 different starters. Of course, not all of the changes to the starting lineup were due to injuries. But it made up a large portion of the reshuffling of the starting 22 each week.

“We needed change and looking at a different direction of what we’re trying to do with our players in the weight room and also with what we know about sports science and with the training room. So we’re trying to bridge that together from our training room to our weight room. And what we have of the vision of where we can help our players be healthy but getting strong at the same time and still keep that level of physicality on the field.”

Spencer Reid takes over as interim S&C coach

With Tafisi and McClure gone, BYU now gives the interim strength coach title to Spencer Reid. Reid is the son of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

He was hired as a strength and conditioning assistant last February after spending two years with the Colorado State football program under Steve Addazio.

Sports performance trainers Dr. Skylar Mayne and former BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson have also taken on an elevated role within BYU’s strength staff.

Dr. Mayne has worked closely with BYU quarterback Jaren Hall. When Hall was dealing with shoulder pain in October, Hall was seen in pregame warmups going through individual drills with Dr. Mayne. He’s likely keeping close tabs on Hall again as he recovers from an ankle injury suffered during the Stanford game to close out the regular season. Hall’s status for the New Mexico Bowl is still to be determined, but he hasn’t practiced as much as Kalani Sitake would like.

Mayne has been an individual that many athletes in the state have turned to for training in preparation for the NFL draft.

Other strength coaches include Kalani Simeona and Dalton Elliott, who came to BYU last year from Utah State.

BYU vs. SMU

2022 New Mexico Bowl

Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. (MT)

TV: ABC

Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM – Extended pregame begins at Noon)

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Mitch will be in Albuquerque for the 2022 New Mexico Bowl between BYU and SMU. Follow his coverage on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

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