South Dakota State University has announced Nathan Morris as its new director of football performance. Morris joins the Jackrabbits with a wealth of experience in strength and conditioning, set to play a key role in enhancing the physical development of the football program.
Jackrabbit head coach Dan Jackson expressed his excitement about Morris’s appointment, noting his significant impact on the team. “The strength coach is integral to the development of our program and is really the right-hand man of the head coach in a lot of ways,” Jackson said. “Nate brings a ton of experience, and I’m excited about his urgency, passion, and energy. He’s going to do big things to develop us physically.”
Morris brings over six years of experience in sports performance. Most recently, he served as the assistant athletic director for sports performance at Sacramento State, where he led the strength and conditioning efforts for the Hornet football program. He also provided oversight for all 21 varsity sports at Sac State.
His previous roles include serving as assistant strength and conditioning coach and sports science coordinator at Colorado State University, where he utilized advanced technology to optimize practice and training strategies for the football program. Morris also spent time as head strength and conditioning coach at Missouri Southern State University during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Morris began his career in 2016 as a graduate assistant at Midwestern State University. He further honed his skills during an internship with the University of Texas in 2018, where he worked with multiple position groups, including the offensive and defensive lines, wide receivers, and defensive backs, helping the Longhorns secure a Sugar Bowl victory.
Morris earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of South Alabama in 2016 and his master’s in exercise physiology from Midwestern State in 2018. He is certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
At South Dakota State, Morris will contribute to a football program that has earned 13 consecutive FCS playoff berths and captured back-to-back national titles in 2022 and 2023.
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