Even though most students are in their beds at 6 a.m., Quincy University’s football team is creating a new legacy in the Athletics Performance Center and sending shock waves around campus. Coach Taylor Saie pushes the team to new heights as the new athletic department’s strength and conditioning coach.

Coach Taylor comes to QU as he previously was the head strength and conditioning coach at West Virginia State University; he stayed with the Yellow Jackets athletic department for one year and worked to bring a new age style to the athletic department. He learned that style at Western Michigan University, where he worked as the head strength coordinator for the football and Olympic sports (basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, etc.) teams.

Saie is looking to revolutionize the Hawk’s weightlifting regimen by incorporating lifts, which are sports movements, into the everyday workout to build strength and speed for the sport. Saie is already getting results in the weight room, with the football team becoming stronger daily, and he looks to spread the growth campus-wide.

Saie sat down with QU Media’s Carter Lenzen for an interview:

What brought you to Quincy? 

Initially, I just saw the add-on online, and I applied, and Coach Killday brought me here. He then got me in with an interview with the athletic director, Josh Rabe, which happened quickly. I applied for the job in September or something like that. And then, a month later, I forgot about it. Then Coach Killday called me. The following week, I got an interview with both of them, a video interview. Two days later, they offered me the job. So, it has been excellent so far. It was fantastic. It has been great being a part of the program and the community. It was impressive.

How do you feel about the weight room culture that has changed since you have been here?

Well, I guess I cannot say from personal experience. But from one of the people I have talked to, it seems it has changed for the better. I have heard the structure has been great in structure, discipline, enthusiasm, buy-in, and all of that. So, it is going well so far. 

What are you looking forward to for your time here? 

Just building. I keep building and am better today than I was yesterday. However, I still have much work to do in the weight room. We have a lot of cleaning and many things we need to do. Every day, we are refining more and more and that is it. As I said, I am from Western Michigan University and West Virginia State. So, at West Virginia State, we only had six racks. We have 15 to 20 here. So, we have everything you need to have a great program. Especially for a strength coach, it does not get much better than this here at a Division II school, and I could not be more blessed and thankful.