LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI athletic department announced Monday the hiring of Ellis Spratlin as the Director of Strength & Conditioning/Football Head Strength and Conditioning coach.

"I am excited to add Ellis Spratlin to our VMI football family," said Keydet head football coach Scott Wachenheim. "Ellis has been a part of highly successful strength and conditioning programs that have led to championship-level performances on the gridiron. He has the proven abilities to maximize resources and motivate student-athletes."

Spratlin served as the director of strength and conditioning at the University of West Alabama since June 2019, directly overseeing the physical development of the football team. He utilized objective training data provided through TeamBuilder to improve programming and was responsible for a staff of three graduate assistants and a varying number of interns.

"I am honored to be joining the VMI athletic department," said Spratlin. "Thank you to Coach Wachenheim, Lenny Brown, Jim Miller, and all coaches that contributed to the hiring process, for placing their trust in me. I am excited to work with the student athletes at VMI and look forward to becoming engrained in this institution's rich culture."

Previous to working at UWA, Spratlin was the head strength and conditioning coach at Reinhardt University. Previous stops for Spratlin include Kennesaw State University for three years, two of which as a graduate assistant and one year as assistant strength coach. He also worked as an intern strength coach at Valdosta State University and the University of Iowa.

Spratlin is certified through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches' Association. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise physiology from Valdosta State in 2014 and a Master's Degree in exercise and health sciences in 2016.