New York Giants head coach Joe Judge has added several names to his staff in recent days, which includes incoming defensive line coach Freddie Roach.
As an NFL newcomer, there is little known about Roach at the professional level, but his resume certainly is interesting.
Here’s a look at said resume and a few other facts about Roach.
Worked under Nick Saban, alongside Joe Judge
Let’s begin with the obvious… Roach started his career at Alabama as a strength and conditioning coordinator and spent a good chunk of his time in college with the Crimson Tide over two stints. He also played for Alabama prior to that.
During that time, Roach worked under legendary head coach Nick Saban and alongside current Giants head coach Joe Judge.
From 2009-2010, while Roach was serving his the strength and conditioning role, Judge was an assistant special teams coach.
Just missed “Last Chance U” immortality
In 2011, Roach joined East Mississippi Community College as a defensive line coach/strength and conditioning coordinator under Buddy Stephens. That year, the program won the first of five NJCAA national championships under Stephen.
Roach lasted just one year however, and beginning in 2017, Netflix chose the college for a docu-series on junior college (JUCO) players trying to earn their way back into Division I. The series, titled “Last Chance U,” exploded and became a nation-wide hit.
Roach considered a “rising star”
Long before there were even whiffs of the NFL, those in the know expected the big stage would eventually come calling for Roach.
“Freddie Roach is a rising star,” former Ole miss head coach Hugh Freeze said in 2017, via 247Sports. “He’s a heck of a recruiter, heck of a technician. Demanding on his kids.”
Matt Luke, another former Ole Miss coach, shared similar sentiments in 2018.
“We’re really fortunate to have him,” Luke said, via TideSports.com. “He is a rising star in this profession. The thing he does best is he has an unbelievable relationship with his players. I think that also carries over into recruiting. But the relationship he has with his players, his players love him. They trust him. I think to be a successful coach, they got to know you care with about them. I think they know that about Freddie.”
