With strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert leaving for the Los Angeles Chargers to join former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff, the Wolverines moved quickly to find a replacement.
Michigan has elected to stay in-house, with Justin Tress taking over as strength and conditioning coach. Tress has been with the program since 2018. The Wolverines also announced that Abigail O’Connor, director of performance nutrition, will remain with the program.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, Ben Herbert, Tress, and O’Connor all provided remarks in the announcement.
Sherrone Moore, Head Football Coach at the University of Michigan’s J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family, announced the hire of Justin Tress as the program’s Director of Strength and Conditioning on Monday (January 29). Tress takes over for his longtime mentor, Ben Herbert. Moore also stated that Abigail O’Connor, the team’s Director of Performance Nutrition, would remain with the program.
“I am honored to represent the football program in this new role and appreciate Coach Sherrone Moore’s belief in my abilities and Coach Herbert’s endorsement,” Tress told reporters. “It means a lot to have both of these leaders believe in me and my ability as a strength coach.
“I look forward to leading the strength and conditioning program with an exceptionally talented group of coaches,” Tress said. “We will continue to collaborate to prepare our student-athletes’ bodies and minds for the field of competition. The plan has been developed, and we will work hard to achieve exceptional results in the weight room with the goal of putting our players in the best position to succeed on the football field.”
“I am excited that both Justin and Abigail will remain an integral part of our program,” Moore added. “They have been critical components of our success, and we look forward to their guidance as we move forward as a program. Justin’s long-time mentor, Ben Herbert, is passing the baton to him, and we know Justin, the strength team, and their work with Abigail will remain an important part of our player development. Our strength staff, nutrition staff, and athletic training staff have worked together to create a championship culture in Schembechler Hall.
“I have known Coach Tress since 2014 and have worked in lockstep with him since 2017,” Herbert went on to say. “Over the last seven years
“Any time there is transition, great people make decisions that are in the best interest of their family,” Moore said. “We appreciate everything Coach Herb has done for the program and wish him the best in his next coaching opportunity. He built an excellent team that still works together in Ann Arbor. “We know this group will thrive.”
Tress has been a part of the Michigan Football Strength and Conditioning staff for the past six years (2018-present), serving as the team’s associate director during the 2023 season. Before joining the Wolverines, he worked under Herbert at Arkansas for two years. Tress was a member of the University of Alabama’s strength and conditioning department before joining the Razorbacks.
