LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Football head coach Michael Desormeaux has named Connor Neighbors as the program’s Director of Football Strength and Conditioning, it was announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Neighbors has been on the Ragin’ Cajuns’ football staff as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach since the beginning of the 2021 season and assumes the lead role after gaining valuable experience at LSU and Alabama.
“Connor has been the ultimate professional since joining our staff in 2021,” Desormeaux said. “He has brought a new energy to our program and has cutting-edge ideas to continue to develop our student-athletes, help them limit injuries, and perform at their highest possible levels. Connor has trained and worked under legends in the strength and conditioning world. We are so excited to see the trajectory of this program continue to climb under the direction of Connor and his strength and conditioning staff. We are thrilled to keep him and his wife, Megan, home with the #cULture.”
Neighbors served as the Interim Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Ragin’ Cajuns during the team’s appearance in the 2021 New Orleans Bowl, helping prepare the team for the contest through a variety of industry-leading strength and condition programming.
Throughout the 2021 season, he was in charge of warming up and conditioning the team’s quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs. He also implemented Undulating Periodization, Velocity Based Training for CNS Autoregulation, and Proper Progressions for new stimulus involving Plyometrics, Olympic, and power-based lifts.
Neighbors played a critical role in the team’s application of the Catapult GPS Tracking system and was a key advisor to the head coach and assistant coaches on load management for student-athletes based on the data that was collected from the program.
“I am ecstatic to be given the opportunity of a lifetime to lead and develop young men both on and off the field,” Neighbors said. “I cannot thank Coach Desormeaux enough for trusting me to continue our proud tradition of building some of the top talents in the country through our programs. We are ready to get after it.”
Prior to arriving at Louisiana, he spent three seasons at LSU under legendary strength and conditioning coach, Tommy Moffitt. In that position, he serviced the Tigers’ tight ends, running backs, and defensive backs, leading warm-ups and functional range conditioning for each group.
Neighbors also used a variety of scientific methods, including Polar GPS tracking, PERCH Velocity Based Training, and Vald ForceDecks monitoring to create detailed workout plans and monitor the health and well-being of the student-athletes that he coached.
Before returning to his alma mater, Neighbors coached at Florida Atlantic University (2017-18). His experience with the Owls includes a stint as the Interim Head Strength Coach, coaching multiple student-athletes simultaneously during Olympic and power
based lifts and served as the director of in-season rehabilitation of injured players.
A native of Huntsville, Ala., he spent two seasons as a Football and Baseball Strength and Conditioning coach at the University of Alabama, where he learned to prescribe strength and conditioning programs for elite athletes.
He began his career in strength and conditioning at LSU in 2016, where he learned how to properly coach and connect with athletes while experiencing the behind the scenes of how a strength program is operated.
Neighbors was a two-year starter at fullback in 2013 and 2014 for LSU and played in 43 total games during his career, starting 17 times. During his playing career, he rushed for six yards on three carries and caught 11 passes for 119 yards in five years.
Neighbors is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and owns a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Certification and a Functional Range Conditioning Certification (FRC). He graduated from LSU with a B.A. in Science Management and is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts degree from LSU.
He and his wife, Megan, reside in Lafayette.
------------------------------------------------------------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers