Justin Lovett is off to be the head strength coach of the Los Angeles Rams. The chance to work in the NFL was too much to resist for Purdue's head strength and conditioning coach. So, he grabbed it.
"I didn’t want an offer or counter (from Purdue)," said Lovett. "We talked loosely. But no numbers or years were mentioned. It was exciting going to the NFL. Too good of an opportunity to pass up. I had been in the NFL before. I had that urge. Not sure if it would have mattered (what Purdue offered to stay)."
Lovett replaces Ted Rath, who left in February to join the Philadelphia Eagles after three seasons with the Rams, who are coming off a 9-7 season after playing in the Super Bowl in the 2018 season. The Rams will move into $5 billion SoFi Stadium this season.
Lovett helped elevate the Purdue program the last three-plus years in West Lafayette, working largely behind the scenes for Jeff Brohm's program.
"I wouldn’t be in this position if Coach Brohm didn’t let us run an NFL-type of program here which caters to players," said Lovett. "Rondale (Moore) and (Abdur) Yaseen are in speed school. Linemen pushing and pulling big things. Coach Brohm is a forward-thinker who let us design something we can take and use at the next level."
Lovett had some connections to the Rams, having trained players like running back Todd Gurley (Georgia) and Tyler Higbee (Western Kentucky) at previous coaching stops. Lovett also worked with the Denver Broncos from 2009-11 for general manager Brian Xanders, who is now a Rams executive. It was a quick courtship between Lovett and the Rams.
"I had interest in the position," said Lovett, who drove to Los Angeles on Monday and will be at work on Wednesday. His contract officially starts next week. "I am not sure how they found my name or got interest. It has been a month-long process, so it is kind of a blur now from the front-end, but it progressed pretty quickly."
Lovett interviewed with the Rams at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last month. He then flew to Los Angeles for another interview last week.
"They cast a big net, they wanted the best fit for their organization," said Lovett. "It’s cutting edge, it’s forward-thinking. People I trust have called it 'space-aged.' They aren’t afraid to try and fail with new things, and that appealed to me. We did a lot of that here. It felt natural. If you can do similar things at a higher level, that gets your adrenaline running."
Did Lovett know Rams 34-year-old fourth-year head coach Sean McVay?
"I don’t know Sean McVay," said Lovett. "He is from Kettering, (Ohio), which is very close to where I grew up. I met him in the process a couple times. He’s as energetic and intense as you’d think. He has a forward-thinking mind-set in training players."
Lovett's impact on Purdue is noteworthy.
"The care of the players, the improvements we all made collectively with Mr. Bobinski and Jeff Brohm leading the way," said Lovett.
"When we walked in Mollenkopf, there were blood stains on the floor from 2009. There were missing dumbbells from 60s to 90s. Mr. Bobinski fixed that right away. Fast-forward, they are eating better than they ever have. If you don’t feed the players, it doesn’t matter. None of it. You are getting blown off the ball regardless of how strong you are because mass moves mass in his game, especially between the tackles. Until we got that right, we were at a competitive disadvantage. Coach Brohm has that right."
As for 2020?
"I am most proud of the body weight chart in 2020," said Lovett. "The backup defensive tackle isn’t 260 (pounds) anymore. (Coach Brohm) has resources like they do at Ohio State and Michigan. He’s able to see bodies change. They are fueling themselves like they should."
Where will Purdue turn for a replacement? Lovett thinks highly of his two assistants at Purdue, senior associate director of strength and conditioning Domenic Reno and associate director of strength and conditioning Dennis Love.
"If I were asked, I have faith in Dominic Reno and Dennis Love," said Lovett. "Both have Super Bowl rings. Those two cats are good and should be head (strength) coaches. Fact we kept them so long is a testament to what Purdue has become."
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