Abigail O'Connor Stays
Lost among the storm of negativity yesterday was the good news that head dietician Abigail O'Connor is remaining with the program.
She has been with the program since 2018, iirc, and has been credited multiple times by Harbaugh as an important member of the S&C team.
A fun blast from the past:
I almost feel bad about the bacon and coffee I just had for breakfast. Almost.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:08 AM ^
And of course I miss a typo in the title. Dammit. My apologies to coach O'Connor.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:15 AM ^
You've ruined everything
January 30th, 2024 at 9:27 AM ^
She'll forgive you, but please remember, "o" not "e" when referring to O'Connors who weren't played by the late Paul Walker.
January 30th, 2024 at 12:43 PM ^
*Paul Walkor
January 30th, 2024 at 10:34 AM ^
For some reason, it drivers me crazy when people replace an "O" with an "E", or even worse, an "A" with an "E"...the fact that so many Michigan fans misspell Hutch's name as "Aiden" drives me up a wall
Don't sweat it though :)
January 30th, 2024 at 2:07 PM ^
A friend of mine and his wife named their son “Aiden” because it’s an anagram of her name, “Diane”. I always thought that was cool.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:09 AM ^
By all accounts Jim was trying hard to bring her to LA as well.
Good person to hang onto.
I'm also talking myself into Tress being ready to step up.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:13 AM ^
Tress was Herbert's right-hand man for years. Has followed him from Arkansas and has been by his side for at least the last few years, so whatever knowledge Herbert has, Tress has undoubtedly soaked it in during this time.
I don't know what he's like from a personality perspective, how similar he is to Herbert, but I imagine that at least from a training regimen perspective, he's going to try keeping everything just the same as what Herbert had. I'd be shocked if there is any "reinventing the wheel" going on with S&C.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:20 AM ^
In addition, some percentage of the "conditioning culture" that existed in 2023 was due to players, notably Corum. Well, now there's an opportunity for other players to step up and be that guy. I can see Mason Graham and Donovan Edwards being two that could help fill that role.
My strong sense is the S&C aspect of the team is going to be okay.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:08 AM ^
Sustaining the culture… as you note.. is extremely important.
The “torch” was passed a few years ago. IMO, it began with Hutch.. and he passed it one. Corum, Sainristil, and many others carried it. Now, it’s time for “the next generation” (or class of leaders to step up and show the way) to those entering the program.
Coaches and players will move on. So - some will stay. This is a good “keep“ for the staff.
Go Blue!
January 30th, 2024 at 11:47 AM ^
Agree, and keeping the nutrition coach is a big part of the S&C program. If players do great workouts, but go load up on McDonalds or junk food afterwards, they won't be experiencing nearly the benefits. Credit Herbert for putting them together. Unless the new guy is an idiot, ( extremely unlikely) he's going to keep the successful train rolling.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:10 AM ^
Any staff member that is retained is a win for the program. The goal is to not reinvent the wheel like we did during the Carr-Rodriguez transition.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:27 AM ^
I would liken that transition being more about people being too attached to a damaged wheel to replace it with modern technology, but thats just me.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:50 AM ^
Someday that modern technology will be rediscovered, which will lead to the rediscovery that it doesn’t work very well.
Build the lines and everything else will follow. Literally.
January 30th, 2024 at 12:56 PM ^
They didn’t reinvent the wheel. They just came apart.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:13 AM ^
Any relation to Sarah Conner? She's jacked.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:49 AM ^
If Sarah Connor is the mother of dragons, does that make John Connor a dragon?
January 30th, 2024 at 9:14 AM ^
That’s a good one! Everything I’ve heard about her is great!
January 30th, 2024 at 9:20 AM ^
Eat it, Jim
January 30th, 2024 at 9:41 AM ^
Pun intended!
January 30th, 2024 at 9:27 AM ^
Only Michigan could possibly win a National Title and then freak out about a team dietician leaving the program.
I can almost guarantee 99% of the fan base had no idea "head dietician" was even a thing until they figured out they could blame Warde Manuel.
Not to discount her contributions, I just think this fanbase is unhinged. Literally no other fan base would care about a dietician leaving the program.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:37 AM ^
I really don't think it's the loss of the team dietitian that has so many people concerned.
January 30th, 2024 at 11:21 AM ^
Not THE reason but why are we even discussing the dietician in the first place?
January 30th, 2024 at 12:05 PM ^
Because we care about people who care about getting the best out of others, in a collaborative, fun way.
I read the article linked by the OP. It was really good and I'm happy for the dietician for working hard during covid and trying multiple methods to elicit the best student responses. Then the students were able to take it another notch and comment to each other's power plate pictures that "I see you." Hutch used to take his smoothies outside for his pictures for better lighting. The players gravitated to avocados which the dietician then incorporated more into the team meals. Good stuff.
Let us get into the dietician. Let us get into the players. Let us see the culture.
Great Harbaugh quote in the article "I can complain for minutes, but I can be grateful for days."
January 30th, 2024 at 9:56 AM ^
Don't let me stop you from arguing with this imaginary straw man you've created for yourself. You're clearly landing body blows and winning decisively.
Just let us know if you're done, when you want to converse with real people again.
January 30th, 2024 at 11:18 AM ^
https://mgoblog.com/comment/245240631#comment-245240631
Not really a straw man. But if you want to posit that half of mgoblog commenters are indeed not "real people" and are AIs who are programmed to think the sky is falling no matter the circumstances then I may believe you.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:57 AM ^
Pretty soon (if it hasn't already happened) we'll be drawing unfavorable comparisons to the OSU fan base.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:30 AM ^
OTOH Michigan just won a national championship with the least highly regarded recruits in quite some time, so whatever mechanisms are turning those kids into NFL players is clearly highly effective and likely very sensitive to disruption.
January 30th, 2024 at 12:33 PM ^
I can almost guarantee 99% of the fan base had no idea "head dietician" was even a thing until they figured out they could blame Warde Manuel.
Do you think that the Michigan fan base doesn't use the internet?
"Harbaugh has done all the things coaches do to lighten up over the years. Players can listen to music at practice now. When the team hated the food in the facility a few years ago, Harbaugh responded by hiring Abigail O’Connor, a nutritionist who was instantly beloved by the team."
U-M students are also part of the fan base, and they read The Michigan Daily:
Then there are the Michigan-focused independent websites:
"Of course, training is nothing without the dietary and nourishment component. Luckily for the Wolverines, not only do they have the best strength staff in the game, they have the best nutrition staff as well; led by Abigail O’Connor, a diet and nutrition guru former Wolverine Mazi Smith credits with helping him become an ‘athletic freak’ and current running back Blake Corum praises in the episode.
“Abigail and her staff do a phenomenal job,” Corum said. “They know what you need. I’m trying to get cut up, this is the most I’ve weighed, I’m feeling strong. Whatever they’re doing is good and best believe I’ll be back better than ever.”
The Michigan fan base might be a bit more informed about O'Connor than you think.
January 30th, 2024 at 3:30 PM ^
Straw man is that you?
January 30th, 2024 at 9:41 AM ^
Five stars
January 30th, 2024 at 9:50 AM ^
Elston is the most important right now. We need to keep our defense (line) together and elston is hands down the best in the business.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:10 AM ^
Do you think Elston / Clinkscale as Co-DCs?
January 30th, 2024 at 10:12 AM ^
That’s my hope. They both know the ravens scheme and could run it. And they’re two of the best coaches on our staff. I’d make them both co-dc with Clink calling plays since he’s been here longer.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:16 AM ^
I would love to see an analyst from the Ravens come over as a position coach and help fill any gaps on the staff.
I think priority one is to maintain the defensive scheme.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:54 AM ^
mentioned this in a previous post, but this is really great news.
Diet and nutrition go hand in hand with the conditioning program.
Very happy to hear that O'Connor stayed at Michigan.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:02 AM ^
So the world is not ending after all??? Thank God... Whew!!
After Herbert left, I thought all was lost and we were going back to eating pizza's to gain weight...
January 30th, 2024 at 10:05 AM ^
Some of us still are!
January 30th, 2024 at 10:20 AM ^
Somewhere, Mike Gittleson is still trying to fatten up Pat Massey.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:27 AM ^
One thing I'm curious about ... do we have an overly inflated "appreciation" of these additional staffers or is this relatively common across all college football? You're VABlue... does your Virginia Cavaliers counterpart know who the Abigail O'Connor of the Wahoos team is?
Is it "weird" to know:
Mike Gittleson
Kevin Tolbert
Mike Barwis
Aaron Wellman
Ben Herbert
who these guys are? Versus other fans of other programs. I don't follow other teams/schools so I honestly have no frame of reference.
I guess I assume a 'die hard' Wisconsin fan knows who their S&C coach has been for the last 20 years? There's nothing unique about this fan experience over others I suppose.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:37 AM ^
Thats something people care about when the team is good. Im a GaTech alum from a Michigan family in Detroit, and ive never known a staffer of that level unless the team was humming under George O'Leary or Paul Johnson...or that one lonely year under Gailey in 2006 when Calvin was a junior and we went to the ACCCG.
Since Paul Johnson retired I can barely remember position coaches. They clearly werent helping us win. But the way UM has been taking big framed children and putting them on the Freaks list and into the NFL, thats worth remembering.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:49 AM ^
I think most fans of other teams know who their strength coach is. Ohio State fans know who Mariotti is for instance.
More broadly we've done such a good job with development as of late and our guys have tested really well at the Combine. Herbert has a huge role in that.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:03 AM ^
So, no pizza?
January 30th, 2024 at 10:08 AM ^
Her philosophy is at odds with my own:
January 30th, 2024 at 10:11 AM ^
Oh my.. when humor really existed in a creative way. Great reference…
January 30th, 2024 at 10:16 AM ^
plenty of humor out there bud.
January 30th, 2024 at 10:55 AM ^
SDJ, i got your back
January 30th, 2024 at 11:13 AM ^
Thanks, XM!
January 30th, 2024 at 10:18 AM ^
tHanKs, wArDe!
January 30th, 2024 at 10:26 AM ^
What about the team photographers????