Penn State Football: Nittany Lions About to Strengthen Coaching Staff

The Penn State strength and conditioning program is looking to build upon an already growing reputation by adding Brian Bell, the head strength and conditioning coach at DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland.

While Penn State has yet to announce the hire, Ed King, athletic director at DeMatha, confirmed the move Monday night.

“It is my understanding that Brian will join the strength and conditioning staff at Penn State in mid-to-late May,’ King said.

According to a source, Bell will be the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Nittany Lions.

Bell graduated from Kent State in 2007 after playing 32 games as a fullback and tight end. He was signed by the Washington Redskins briefly in 2007 as a free agent before joining the DeMatha staff.

In addition to his high school coaching role, Bell is also a performance coach at Athletic Republic, a respected athletic training facility with deep ties to the Maryland region and cooperate partnerships with the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, USA Hockey, and several other organizations.

Chris Graziano, the managing partner of Athletic Republic, expects Bell to bring a lot of tools to Happy Valley. Bell picked up a glowing recommendation from Deege Galt, Penn State’s current coordinator of strength training whose father, Dwight Galt, is currently director of strength and conditioning at Maryland.

“Brian was recommended for the position by another of our former performance ccoaches, Deege Galt. He will be a great addition to the staff,” Graziano said.

For Penn State, Bell brings not only NFL and NCAA experience to the table but connections to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, one of the most highly revered high school football conferences in the country. And incoming tight end recruit Brent Wilkerson attends DeMatha.

Bell joins director of strength and conditioning, Craig Fitzgerald, and his staff in a new era of strength programs at Penn State after long-time coaches John Thomas and Jeremy Scott were not retained on Bill O’Brien’s staff.

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