Aaron Ausmus, a former Tennessee track and field standout and strength and conditioning assistant, returns to Rocky Top as Director of Strength and Conditioning. His 10-year journey through the coaching ranks included three years at Mississippi and the 2003 national championship at Southern California.
Prior to arriving Knoxville, Ausmus most recently served a brief tenure at North Texas as the head football strength coach.
Ausmus joined the staff of Ed Orgeron as head football strength and conditioning coach at Ole Miss in 2005, serving for three seasons. He came to Ole Miss from Idaho, where he had served as head strength and conditioning coach for the 2004 season. There he was responsible for implementing, directing, and supervising the strength, speed, and conditioning programs for 16 men’s and women’s athletics teams.
Prior to joining the Idaho staff, Ausmus served as the top assistant strength and conditioning coach at Southern California from 2001-03. Considered one of the up-and-coming young strength coaches, Ausmus was instrumental in preparing the 2003 Associated Press national championship team at USC. In addition to winning the 2003 national title, the Trojans were Pac-10 champions in 2002 and 2003.
Prior to joining the USC staff, Ausmus served as a part-time assistant strength and conditioning coach at Tennessee during the 2000-01 seasons and was a strength and conditioning graduate assistant with the Vols from 1998-2000.
Ausmus earned his Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Sport Management from Tennessee in 1998 and then earned his Master of Science in Education degree, also in Sport Management, from Tennessee in 1999.
As a student-athlete on the track team at UT, Ausmus was the 1997 NCAA Indoor shot put champion and a two-time All-America.