Gators hiring NFL team nutritionist & strength coach Jake Sankal

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators have tapped into the NFL for new leadership in their nutrition program. Per multiple sources, the latest staff hire for Florida coach Billy Napier is Washington’s Jake Sankal, who will serve as UF’s director of football nutrition and assistant strength & conditioning coach.

Sankal has eight seasons of experience with the Commanders, joining the organization as the team nutritionist and an assistant strength & conditioning coach during the 2016 offseason. He led all aspects of the team’s performance nutrition strategies and initiatives.

Sankal is member of an NFL subcommittee to develop medical nutrition therapy protocols for concussions and other football injuries. He replaces UF director of sports nutrition Kelsee Gomes.

Napier had several candidates for the job and prioritized player development during the hiring process, per sources. Sankal’s background and expertise is a next level investment for the nutrition program. He has a reputation for equipping players with habits and routine, and his experience with Washington will make the transition to the NFL seamless for UF players.

Sankal’s work has helped shape the careers of several pro athletes, and his professional experience expands beyond football. Prior to joining Washington, he spent six years (2010-15) as a strength and conditioning coach with teams of the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Sankal described his role with Washington as “pretty unique” and with work in a similar capacity at UF.

“I am involved in everything we do strength and conditioning-wise and really everything we do nutrition-wise too,” Sankal said in a 2017 interview. “I work alongside our other strength coaches obviously, train the players and make sure they’re physically prepared to play every week and then I work alongside our chef and his staff to make sure that we’re giving our guys the best food we can possibly give them.

“That ultimately helps them perform better on the field, whether it’s having more energy to practice and work on their skills every day or to help them recover from the physical side of the game, too. It’s all about really just creating an all-around athlete, helping form the best athlete we can and I think nutrition, strength and conditioning go really hand in hand in doing that.”

Sankal is a Registered Dietitian and a Certified Specialist in Sport Dietetics. He also holds certifications with USA Weightlifting and the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC) and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).

Sankal is a professional member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association. He serves on the Sports Nutrition Advisory Panel of the American Dairy Association North East and on the Editorial Review Board Panel of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

With the addition of Sankal, Napier has now filled four of the five openings on his staff. He also hired Will Harris as the new secondary coach, Gerald Chatman as the defensive line coach and Craig Fitzgerald as director of strength and conditioning. UF still has to replace linebackers coach Jay Bateman, who left to become the DC at Texas A&M.