USC names Robert Stiner as Director of Football Sports Performance
USC's quest for a new strength and conditioning coach ultimately ended with the Trojans raiding their rival in naming Robert Stiner as USC's Director of Football Sports Performance.
Stiner, 35, served as the assistant director of football strength and conditioning at Notre Dame for the past three years, and was at Cincinnati -- along with USC athletic director Mike Bohn -- during the 2017 season. He had stops at Mississippi State, Central Arkansas and Florida International before that.
“We are very excited to welcome coach Stiner to the Trojan Family,” USC head coach Clay Helton said in a statement. “His knowledge and passion for developing student-athletes to reach their full potential is well recognized by his peers and has made him a highly-respected coach in the field. The system he brings has helped produce teams that compete and thrive at the highest level of college football and we are confident he will make an immediate impact on our program and student-athletes.”
USC needed to replace Aaron Ausmus, who was hired prior to the 2019 season but whose contract was not renewed following the 2020 season.
Stiner was a four-year starter as a defensive end and team captain at Belhaven College in Mississippi. In 2007, he was named the Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year there. After beginning his strength and conditioning career at Belhaven following his playing days, he was an intern at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in 2009 and at Baylor in 2010.
Stiner has been a part of two College Football Playoff teams with Notre Dame, and the Fighting Irish posted a 33-5 record during his time there. According to a USC press release announcing the move, 47 former Notre Dame players posted top-10 placings in running, jumping and lifting drills during the past two NFL combines, which was more than in the previous five combines.
