MOSCOW, Idaho – University of Idaho head football coach Thomas Ford Jr. Friday announced the hire of head strength and conditioning coach for football, Jamel Cooper.
 
A veteran strength coach and former college football player, Cooper comes to Moscow from the Los Angeles Rams where he was an associate strength and conditioning coach for the past four years. He was on the staff for the 2022 Superbowl 56 Championship team and has experience from multiple FBS schools.
 
"I am excited and honored to join the University of Idaho as the head strength and conditioning coach and I am grateful to coach Ford for the opportunity," Cooper said. "It's a privilege to be part of such a dedicated staff and to work alongside our student-athletes to help them reach their full potential, both physically and mentally. I look forward to creating an environment that fosters growth, hard work, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Together, we will push the limits of what's possible and build a championship culture on and off the field."


Prior to his time with the Rams, he was the assistant strength and conditioning coach for football at Louisville for two years beginning in 2019.
 
Cooper came to Louisville from Wake Forest where he served as the senior coordinator of sports performance during 2017-18. He worked with all aspects of the football strength and conditioning program, including both in and off-season programming.

Prior to Wake Forest, Cooper spent two years (2015-17) working at Middle Tennessee State as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for football. Before getting into college athletics, he served as the head sports performance coach at Tidewater Sports Performance in Newport News, Virginia.
 
"I couldn't be more excited about adding Coach Cooper," Ford said. "Jamel is a guy who not only understands the science of strength and conditioning to a tee, but also how to motivate and build relationships with players. His time in the NFL has given him great perspective on how to implement a year-round program that will improve their performance as well as keep them healthy. He is a guy that will bring the juice every day and continue a culture of development in the weight room."

Cooper is a two-time graduate of Georgia Southern where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science and kinesiology in 2012 and a Master of Science in coaching education in 2018. He also spent two years as a running back for the Eagles.
 
He carries SCCC, CSCS and USAW certifications.