By Heather Maile

April 2, 2008 | Jacob Scharnhorst is the new head strength and conditioning coach at Utah State University. He came from Ole Miss, where he was the head strength coach for the men's basketball program and also an assistant for football.

"He [Scharnhorst] is a good fit for the athletes. He's solid, hard-working, and very down to earth," said Eric Kasabuske, a graduate assistant at Utah State.

Some of his background coaching experience will bring in new techniques and ideas to the program. He coached three years at the University of Mississippi and before that was at the University of Idaho, where he was a graduate assistant for two years and an assistant coach for one year assisting with all sports. He said one of his short-term goals is to introduce more Olympic lifting variations to the athletes. He plans to focus on sports-specific conditioning, meaning that the sets, reps and intensities will vary per sport. He said overall most lifts are good for any athlete but it's these factors that will make a difference.

Scharnhorst chose to come to Utah State to gain the experience of being a head strength and conditioning coach and also to get his family back to the Northwest. When asked about the athletes at Utah State, he said, "They are picking things up really well. We've introduced new lifts and they are working hard and very coachable."

Scharnhorst is married to Courtney, and they have two girls, Kyra, 6, and Mia, 2. He and his wife are from a little town in northern Idaho called Genesee. He received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology (sports science) from the University of Northern Colorado, and then went on to get his master’s degree in physical education from the University of Idaho.

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