Michigan decided to stay in-house and announced Justin Tress is taking over as strength and conditioning coach. Tress has been with the program since 2018. The Wolverines also announced that director of performance nutrition Abigail O’Connor will remain with the program.
With strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert headed to the Los Angeles Chargers to join former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff, the Michigan Wolverines acted fast and named a replacement.
lows. I have never once seen his commitment to me or to Michigan Football waiver. Justin is an incredible representation of intelligence, consistency and commitment. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he will continue to build upon the legacy we have established with Michigan Football.”
“Any time there is transition, great people make decisions that are in the best interest of their family,” added Moore. “We appreciate all that Coach Herb did for the program and wish him well in his next coaching opportunity. He developed a great staff that remains together in Ann Arbor. We know this group will flourish.”
Tress has spent the last six years (2018-present) as a member of the Michigan Football Strength and Conditioning staff, including the 2023 season as the team’s associate director. He also spent two years as a member of Herbert’s staff at Arkansas before joining the Wolverines’ staff. Prior to working with the Razorbacks, Tress was a member of the University of Alabama strength and conditioning staff when the program played in the CFP National Championship Game, winning the title in 2015 while losing in the 2016 contest.
Tress, 28, is a former defensive back at Kent State. He earned his degree in exercise science from Kent State in 2015. A native of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, Tress attended Blackhawk High School where he was a captain and earned all-conference honors. He was a three-year letterman in football and two-year letterman in track and field.
O’Connor has been Michigan Football’s Director of Performance Nutrition for the past six seasons (2018-present) and will continue her role as the program’s leader in that area. O’Connor worked at the University of Houston (2016-17) and spent the 2017 season as the football dietitian at the University of Minnesota before joining the Wolverines’ staff.
She graduated with a master’s degree in nutrition sciences from Texas A&M University in 2015 after receiving her undergraduate degree in biology from Southwestern University in 2013. O’Connor is a board-certified specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and a registered dietitian (RD/RDN).
“I walked inside these doors of Schembechler Hall with Justin Tress and Sherrone Moore in 2018 and have worked closely with them ever since,” said O’Connor. “Fostering the development of our student-athletes is something that has always been a priority of this program and I am confident that we will continue to be elite in that area under all of our leadership.”
