Kansas State Wildcats lose football strength & conditioning coach to USC Trojans
The Kansas State football team will have a new strength and conditioning coach next season.
Trumain Carroll, a highly respected trainer who helped the Wildcats win 36 games over the past four seasons, is leaving head coach Chris Klieman’s staff to accept a similar job with the USC Trojans.
Klieman hired Carroll ahead of the 2021 season in hopes that he would make the Wildcats bigger, stronger and faster on the football field. He did exactly that while he was in Manhattan.
Carroll was a key member of K-State’s improvement after a disappointing pandemic season in 2020. Under his watch, the Wildcats advanced to four consecutive bowl games and claimed one Big 12 championship.
He will be a significant loss for a roster filled with players that continually raved about their experiences in the weight room. Before arriving at K-State, “Coach Tru” worked at Oklahoma State and SMU and USF.
But Klieman already has a replacement in mind.
Ray Thomas, who has served under Carroll on the K-State weight room staff for the past four seasons, has been promoted to director of strength and conditioning.
“We are pleased to elevate Ray to lead our strength and conditioning program,” Klieman said. “Our players and coaches have the utmost respect for him, and his style and leadership will fit in seamlessly with our program as we enter the summer training months and into the season.”
Thomas was an obvious replacement after all the work he has put in with the Wildcats. The hope is that he can hit the ground running in an elevated role, given his familiarity with the team.
He was a driving force this offseason in helping K-State football players collectively gain 700 pounds of muscle. Four players (Dylan Edwards, Avery Johnson, Donovan McIntosh and VJ Payne) have also been able to top speeds of 23 mph in practice.
