FOOTBALL

Tennessee strength coach Rock Gullickson has earned players' respect

Rhiannon Potkey
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee
Tennessee director of strength and conditioning Rock Gullickson meets with the media on Tuesday, Jan 10., 2017.

Jack Jones couldn’t bench press a bar stacked with weights or max out on deadlifts.

Dressed in a suit and tie, the offensive lineman improvised to demonstrate how much new Tennessee strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson has impacted the Vols.

“One thing is I can’t button my top button right now, so that’s hats off to Rock right now,” said Jones, tugging on his shirt collar. “But it has been awesome. I can tell tremendous gains for myself. Him along with Coach (Mike) Szerszen, whose already been here, has been a great transition and we have all loved Rock.”

Hired by UT in January, Gullickson has spent the last month trying to make the Vols bigger, faster and stronger depending on each player’s needs.

“Coach Rock is the man. Nothing but positivity and energy day in and day out. He is just out there giving his all for us and we are doing the same for him,” UT offensive lineman Jashon Robertson said. “Constant encouragement and just grinding. And he is definitely doing a lot of things that will be helpful for us going forward, explosive movements, on-field things that we do in the weight room. I have just really enjoyed this offseason process.”

Gullickson came to UT after spending 17 seasons in the NFL, including the last seven with the Los Angeles Rams organization. He was named NFL Strength Coach of the Year in 2007 while working for the Green Bay Packers.

“You have somebody coming from the league, man that is nothing but love and respect all the way because that is the ultimate goal for all of us,” Robertson said. “We all want to get there, so when you have somebody who has seen it with their own eyes what an NFL body looks like, what an NFL workload looks like, you have somebody like that bringing it to us. It’s very exciting and we look forward to getting after it every day.”

Despite returning to the college level, UT linebacker Cortez McDowell says Gullickson has stayed consistent in his approach.

“His big thing is he wants to treat us like professionals. He still has the NFL mindset when he comes into work and we are bringing that approach every day in the lift group that we have, to come in as an NFL-type player,” McDowell said. “Just attack what you have to do and not worry about anything else. While you are here, worry about football. When you are in class, worry about class. That is his biggest thing. So our mindset is to come in, listen and get the work in and see the results from it.”

Gullickson is spending more time with the UT players than anyone on the coaching staff as they prepare to begin spring practice on March 21. McDowell cited Gullickson’s attention to detail as a defining trait in his approach.

“Everything about Rock is superior. It is just the way he commands, how he leads us, everybody gravitates to him,” McDowell said. “If you see all the guys, everybody’s body’s in shape. Everybody got a lot stronger, a lot faster and that is the approach that we need going into this next season.”

Jones doesn’t mind outgrowing a few dress shirts if it means Gullickson can help UT win more games and improve their professional prospects.

“We all know he has been in the league for many years, so we know everything he says, you are hanging on every word because he’s got the key. We have really loved that,” Jones said. “I think that is what’s made the transition so good. He’s so respected and he respects us and we work hard for him.”

More GoVolsXtra Headlines: