Jason Novak on being at Michigan State

The new strength and conditioning coach, Jason Novak, is excited by the opportunity to help coach the Michigan State Spartans.

Jason Novak replaced Ken Mannie, the longtime strength and conditioning coach here at Michigan State. Spartan fans needn't worry about the experience of their new strength coach.

From 2015-2019 he was the director of strength and conditioning at Central Michigan.

When talking about his relationship with new head coach Mel Tucker, Novak said he knew of him "as far as NFL circles," at a time when he was with the Tennessee Titans, and Tucker was with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But knowing of him and speaking with him are two different things entirely.

"Knowing his name and his track record of success in the league and then also collegiately. Then, getting to actually sit down and talk with him and hear his vision of the program and where he wants it to go and the belief system that he has," said Novak. "I mean it was one of those deals where it's like 'where do I sign right now?' I got so excited in talking to him."

One of the biggest reasons the meeting excited Novak was the depth of knowledge Tucker had when it came to strength and conditioning. He understood it's importance.

"For me, one of the big factors for me is he believes in strength and conditioning as an important part of the football program," Novak said. "It's important to him, and he understands it, he has a lot of knowledge about it, and for me, that was really exciting because I was talking to a man that really understood what this phase of the program was about and the importance of it and the support that he has given me and my staff, it's been wonderful."

However, the new strength coach said the cheers from Spartan Stadium were enough to make him realize the opportunity was too good to pass up.

"On top of that, my gosh, it's Michigan State, it's Spartan Stadium, it's 'Go Green!' That in it of itself, I mean how could you not jump at the opportunity to be a part of that program and a part of this University and the fan base. Everything that goes with it, it's a dream come true for me - a hundred percent," says Novak.

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