Oregon State Announces Strength & Conditioning Director Jeff Eaton
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Over the years, Aaron Feld has earned a reputation as an eccentric yet impactful strength & conditioning coordinator. Feld’s curly mustache might draw attention, but his fourth quarter philosophy helped Oregon win two conference championships and the 2020 Rose Bowl.
Now, one of Feld’s proteges is back in the Beaver State: Jeff Eaton. Oregon State announced Eaton’s hire in an official press release Thursday evening.
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New Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard, who worked alongside Eaton at Purdue (2017-19), spoke glowingly of his new strength & conditioning director: “Jeff brings a tremendous work ethic and deep commitment to developing our players, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. His experience building strong resilient athletes all lies perfectly with the culture we are creating here at Oregon State, and I'm confident he'll make a big impact on our team.”
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"I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Director of Football Strength and Conditioning at Oregon State University," Eaton said. "It's a true honor to work with Coach Shephard. His commitment to excellence and the development of young men is unmatched, and I'm committed to building a standard of development that pushes our student-athletes to their highest potential. "Our student-athletes will get a program based on high standards, accountability, and relentless development that represents the toughness and unity of Beaver Nation."
Eaton is best known for his association with Aaron Feld: he assisted Feld at Oregon (2019-21), and Miami (2022-24). A month before Feld stepped away from college football, Eaton became Virginia Tech's associate director of strength & conditioning.
Before his aforementioned connection with Shephard at Purdue, Eaton served as UNLV's assistant director of football strength & conditioning (2015-16). He also worked in strength & conditioning programs at Morgan State (2014), Baylor (2011), San Diego State (2009-10), and Penn State (2005-06).
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