Rob Harris named strength and conditioning coach at Austin Peay

Former Kentucky strength and conditioning coach Rob Harris has found a new home in Clarksville.

After leaving the UK this offseason, Harris has been hired at Austin Peay to take over as the men’s basketball strength and conditioning coach. Head coach Nate James announced the hire Thursday.

Harris heads to Austin Peay after eight years with the University of Kentucky, serving as the men’s basketball strength and conditioning coach for six years and an assistant strength coach for two. In his eight seasons with the program, the Wildcats won four SEC regular-season and tournament titles.

He previously served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for football at the University of Arkansas. Before that, he held the same position with the Cincinnati Bengals for three years. His career began as an intern with Kentucky football’s strength and conditioning program in 2009.

Following Harris’ departure, Kentucky hired Brady Welsh from Purdue as its next strength and conditioning coach. He spent one year with the Boilermakers, joining the program back in January of 2021. Welsh 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 back in May. “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.”

“I cannot overstate my excitement to join the Kentucky Wildcats basketball program and immerse myself in the Lexington community,” Welsh added. “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!”