This week on Inside the Headset, we are featuring Villanova University Strength and Conditioning Coach, Mike Tucker. Coach Tucker shares his personal coaching journey, talks about the significance of transferability, and explains the importance of not "burning the cake" as athletes return to campus.

Mike Tucker enters his second year as Villanova football's strength & conditioning coach.

Tucker arrived at Villanova after spending two years at San Jose State as the assistant athletic performance coach for the Spartan football program. In this role, he assisted in planning, implementing, and coaching all aspects of football athletic performance. He was also the head baseball, women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball athletic performance coach.

Prior to his stint at San Jose State, Tucker served a six-month internship at Clemson University where he helped coach baseball, track & field, and men’s & women’s soccer in the weight room and field training. He also spent a year at Kutztown University where he was both the head athletic performance coach and defensive line coach. In this role, he designed and implemented a year-round strength & conditioning program for the football team. In his two seasons at Kutztown, Tucker coached three defensive linemen to All-Conference honors.

He began his career in strength & conditioning at North Dakota State University as an athletic performance intern coach in August of 2014.

Tucker is a 2014 graduate of Holy Cross University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History and was a four-year letter winner in football, including a three-year starter at outside linebacker.

• [0:30] Start of interview
• [0:48] Getting a start in strength and conditioning
• [2:22] Managing multiple roles
• [4:32] Gaining invaluable learning opportunities
• [7:00] Building a scientifically based S&C program
• [9:48] Reducing the risk of injury by preparing for the demands of the game
• [11:50] Implementing fresh conditioning concepts that transfer to the field
• [14:22] Getting creative with what you have during a pandemic
• [16:27] Don't burn the cake