Purdue’s Brady Welsh named Kentucky’s new S&C coach

Kentucky basketball has found its next strength and conditioning coach, hiring Brady Welsh from Purdue.

Welsh is set to replace Rob Harris, who served as the head S&C coach at Kentucky for six years and was with the program since the 2014-15 season. He was relieved of his duties this offseason. The school posted a new job opening for the position in April, which expired May 2.

Welsh spent one year at Purdue, joining the program back in January of 2021. He previously spent two seasons at Temple (2019-21).

Prior to his time with the Owls, he served as the physical strength and conditioning coach for two years at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. There, he was responsible for programming, delivery and scheduling for all 14 of the academy’s basketball teams.

Welsh started his career as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Illinois, where he worked with the men’s and women’s tennis teams while assisting with the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The new S&C coach earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Eastern Illinois in 2015. He has been an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist since 2015.  

“We’re excited to have Brady Welsh join our family,” John Calipari said of his new hire. “Brady brings a wealth of experience in an area that is critical to the development of our players both for their long-term benefit and for the immediate success during the season. He specializes in creating plans for everyone based on their needs and has worked with some of the best players in the game.  I know he will be a valuable asset to our players both on and off the court.”

In Welsh’s first comments to the Big Blue Nation, he said, “I cannot overstate my excitement to join the Kentucky Wildcats basketball program and immerse myself in the Lexington community. Being a part of one of the sport’s premier programs under the leadership of a Hall of Famer in Coach Calipari was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Big Blue Nation, let’s get to work!”