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1 7 F O O T B A L L ME D I A G U I D E
The words can be found right above the entrance to the Virginia
Tech football team’s weight room.
They are displayed big and boldly – Hard, Smart, Tough.
Those three pillars represent the foundation of head coach Justin
Fuente’s football program and the construction of that foundation
starts in the weight room, where Ben Hilgart, the associate athletics
director for strength and conditioning, oversees that construction.
He and his staff want to make this team tough, and more importantly,
instill Fuente’s vision for the program.
“I think it starts with culture,” Hilgart said. “It’s bigger than any
bench press or back squat that we’ll do. Our job as a strength and
conditioning coach is to promote the culture and instill the vision that
the head football coach has for this entire program. That’s something
we can do every day.
“We have the unique opportunity to be around these players every
single day. We’re around them more than the assistant coaches are,
so every single day, we’re going to promote the culture and the vision
of this football program.
Beyond that, it’s athletic development. We’ll have a comprehensive
plan in place that will train all aspects of athletic performance. I’ve
coached five-star kids and zero-star kids and it all comes down to
development and maximizing these kids’ potential.”
Strength and conditioning program epitomizes what head coach
Justin Fuente wants his program to embody — #HardSmartTough