Before Luke Day and Greg Adkins came to South Carolina, both were part of Marshall’s football program.
Adkins, an offensive line coach, knows firsthand how Day, a strength and conditioning coach, can impact a team. The two stayed together for just one season in Huntington, but that’s all Adkins needed to see Day’s influence take over the locker room.
“What you heard from him is that he has 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said Adkins after arriving in Columbia two weeks after Day. “I think he speaks in his sleep. He will get the best out of every person he comes in contact with, be it his own team, the football team players or the rest of the coaches.
“He is a master of these types of things and has a lot of knowledge about the world of strength and conditioning. I don’t usually think that I know everything about this world, but I know that the teams we had and worked with are tough physical teams. I would anticipate that this will be the hallmark of the things we do, to be hard, physical and fast. “
“Your work will make room for you.” pic.twitter.com/TMBa8QHvD8
– Professional fighter Luke Day (@CoachLukeDay) January 26, 2021
Fight well. pic.twitter.com/hNv2GDUX5I
– Gamecock Athletics (@GamecocksOnline) January 19, 2021
This is Day’s first stint as a strength trainer at the SEC, let alone as head of a strength program at this level. He told his introductory press conference how much the opportunity to be in Columbia meant to him and how he chased coach Shane Beamer for the job.
Questions and Answers with Luke Day: What kind of strength coach are you? | What has Luke Day learned about South Carolina since he was hired?
“He’s a great human being with a great family,” said Adkins. “I’m excited for him and excited for some of the other team members he has in the weight room.”