Former Indiana strength coach signed with Tennessee football before Hoosiers' title win

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Derek Owings signed a contract to be the new Tennessee football strength and conditioning coach six days before Indiana won the national championship, according to documents obtained by Knox News.

UT announced Owings' hire on Jan. 20, the day after the Hoosiers beat Miami 27-21 in the College Football Playoff national title game. But his contract shows he and Tennessee athletic director Danny White signed it on Jan. 13, and Chancellor Donde Plowman signed it Jan. 14.

Owings' official title with Tennessee is director of football sports performance, and he'll make about $1.2 million per year. That likely makes him the highest-paid at his position in college football.

Owings spent the previous two seasons on Indiana coach Curt Cignetti's staff as director of athletic performance. He helped Cignetti turn the Hoosiers from a 3-9 team in 2023 to a powerhouse with back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff.

"Tennessee is one of the most iconic brands in college football," Owings said in a UT news release. "I'm thankful to Coach Heupel for believing in me, and I can't wait to serve this program, this staff and most importantly, these players on Rocky Top."

Before working under Cignetti at Indiana, Owings was on his staff at James Madison as its strength coach from 2020 to 2023. Owings also completed stints at Utah State (2016-18), UCF (2018) and Texas Tech (2019-20).

Owings has a previous relationship with Tennessee coach Josh Heupel as the assistant strength coach at UCF during Heupel's first season in 2018.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Indiana strength coach signed with Tennessee football before Hoosiers' title

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