Michigan State to hire CMU Director of Strength and Conditioning Joel Welsh
Welsh has Big Ten experience, having worked at Iowa previously.
Michigan State continues to shape the infrastructure around its football program, as head coach Pat Fitzgerald has hired Joel Welsh to serve as the Spartans’ new strength and conditioning coach, sources tell Spartans Illustrated.
The move brings to East Lansing a veteran coach with extensive experience across Division I athletics and a reputation for building proformance programs across sports.
Welsh arrives at Michigan State after a successful tenure at Central Michigan, where he most recently served as Associate Athletics Director for Sport (Peak/High) Performance.
Named to that role on March 10, 2025, Welsh was tasked with overseeing and aligning all facets of student-athlete performance, including strength and conditioning, sports medicine, nutrition, mental health, and sports science. The position focused on all things, injury management, conditioning, strength training, and the evaluation of performance-related concerns across CMU’s athletic programs.
Prior to his promotion, Welsh joined the Chippewas in 2019 as Director of Strength and Conditioning and quickly became the key figure in the department’s performance operations. He oversaw the entire strength and conditioning staff while working directly with the football program, helping modernize training methods and emphasize holistic athlete development.
Before his time at Central Michigan, Welsh led the strength and conditioning program at Delaware State from 2017 to 2019. There, he worked with a wide range of teams, including football, men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, track and field, equestrian, and women’s golf. His impact was recognized internally as he received the Athletic Director’s Choice Award as Employee of the Year in 2017 and the Division of Student Affairs’ Quiet Champion Award in 2018.
Welsh also spent four seasons at Iowa from 2012 to 2016 as part of the Hawkeyes’ strength and conditioning staff, working directly with the football program under longtime strength coach Chris Doyle. That experience at a Big Ten school helped shape his philosophy on physical development, accountability, and competitive culture - elements that align closely with Fitzgerald’s vision for Michigan State.
A Bronx, New York native, Welsh began his career as the strength and conditioning coordinator at his alma mater, Queens College, in 2008. He later served as a graduate assistant at Springfield College and interned at Fordham. He holds certifications from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and USA Weightlifting.
As Michigan State looks to elevate its competitive edge in the Big Ten, the addition of Welsh signals a commitment to comprehensive, modern performance development - one that extends well beyond the weight room and into every aspect of student-athlete health and success.