Football
- Title:
- Director of Sports Science
- Phone:
- 205-348-3600
Dr. Matt Rhea joined the Crimson Tide in March of 2020 as the Football Director of Sports Science.
Rhea brings a scientific approach to the Crimson Tide's tradition of hard work and dedication that is put towards getting stronger and faster. Working alongside David Ballou, the Tide's director of sports performance, Rhea dives into the science of sports training that helps strip away pre-existing impediments to help Alabama's student-athletes reach their fullest athletic potential.
In his role, Rhea utilizes Alabama's Sports Science Center that opened in July of 2020. The structure features state-of-the-art recovery technology that will be a perfect complement to the objective data that Dr. Rhea collects during practices and workouts. This data will help Alabama's strength and conditioning staff, along with athletic training and nutrition, determine exactly what recovery strategies each player needs to create the optimal environment for training and development on a personalized level.
Rhea has worked as a football strength and conditioning coach for 13 years, including five years with NFL Combine training, five in high school football and three at the collegiate level. He came to Alabama from Indiana University, where he spent the previous two years as IU's High-Performance Coordinator while working with the Hoosiers' football program.
Prior to his time in Bloomington, he was the head of sport science at IMG Academy from 2016-17. There, he contributed to the optimal development of athletes through innovative assessments and advanced strength and conditioning.
Rhea launched a consulting company in 2001 and helped NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL teams, International Olympic programs and college athletic departments. He provided direction to his clients in areas like speed training, injury prevention and performance optimization.
He advanced to a full professor of kinesiology at A.T. Still University where he taught courses in sports conditioning and exercise physiology. Rhea has published nearly 100 studies in sports performance enhancement, as well as lecturing in seven different countries.
While attending school, he played football for three years at both UNLV and Southern Utah University. He received his bachelor of science degree in physical education from Southern Utah in 1998, a master of science in exercise science and physical education from Arizona State in 2001, and a master of science in sports management from American Public University in 2016.
He went on to earn his doctorate of philosophy in 2004 from Arizona State with an exercise and sport science academic focus and an athletic performance enhancement research focus.
Rhea and his wife Kellie have five sons, Isaac, Jake, Ethan, Kelen and Karsten.
