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Zac Woodfin arrives at KU, was sold on the people

Zac Woodfin, the new strength and conditioning coordinator for the KU football program arrived in Lawrence yesterday. He will get his first full day of work today as a Jayhawk.

Head coach David Beaty knew about Woodfin because of individuals who worked with him in the past. Woodfin said there were also people who had a connection to some of Beaty’s staff.

“It was basically a one-connection out that not only Coach Beaty but other members of his staff knew guys that have worked with me,” Woodfin said. “Thankfully I had some strong recommendations from those guys that have worked with me in the past.”

When Beaty called Woodfin about his interest in the opening, he was also the interim athletic director at Southern Miss. When their A.D. took a job at San Diego, Woodifn was promoted to that position as well as keeping his strength and conditioning position.

“He has that "it" factor,” said Lanny Mixon, the publisher of the Rivals.com site covering Southern Miss. “He is one of those rare individuals that will be successful anywhere he goes and anything he does. He has a strong worth ethic, high intellect and strong faith. He has a dynamic personality as evidenced by being named interim athletics director.”

Woodfin inherited the Southern Miss program after a 3-9 season. The next year they won nine games and played for the Conference USA title.

“He took the S&C program to another level and played a key role in the turn-around following a disastrous period that began in 2012,” Mixon said. “Woodfin is a player’s coach with dedication to accountability and personal responsibility.”

Woodfin was impressed with the facilities, but was sold on the people at Kansas
Woodfin was impressed with the facilities, but was sold on the people at Kansas

Before going to Southern Miss, Woodfin was named the Football Scoop Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2014. He earned the award after helping the UAB program go from two wins to bowl eligibility in one year. The Football Scoop award is voted on by the previous winners. So Woodfin earned the honor after being chosen by people like Joey Batson, Don Sommer, Kaz Kazadi, Kevin Yoxall and others who won the award before him.

Once Beaty convinced Woodfin to listen to him about the opportunity it developed from there. Two weekends ago Woodfin visited the area with his wife Fawn, and two children Valor and Violet.

Woodfin was impressed with the campus and facilities but it was the people inside of the program that sold him on the Jayhawks job.

“The campus with the hills were unbelievably beautiful,” Woodfin said. “The facilities were great. To me, you win with people. I felt the people were unbelievable. I met with a lot of the coaches and their wives at dinner. The first night Coach Beaty and I met. Then we met again the second night for hours. The third day I went to church with Wayne Simien and his family.”

Woodfin will go to work today and start putting his stamp on the program.

“There are some things that we might tweak a little bit right away,” he said. “I don’t need to come in right away and make wholesale changes though. We have a lot of great things in that weight room that I will be able to utilize and train our guys to the highest level with. I was impressed with the facilities and it is only going to get better. Coach Beaty told me the plans for the future, and I think it is exciting times.”

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