Matt Clapp comes to the New Orleans Saints in 2022 for his first season as the team's Strength Coach. Clapp has eight years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach at the collegiate level.
He joins the Saints after serving as assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Alabama from 2020-21, where he was part of a strength staff that helped the Crimson Tide capture the 2020 College Football Playoff Championship and featured six consensus All-Americans and six NFL first round draft picks and in the 2021 season reached the title game and featured four consensus All-Americans, as well as the Heisman Trophy winner each of the past two seasons.
Clapp came to Tuscaloosa after serving as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Indiana University from 2015-19 and on the strength staff at University of Akron (2014-15), University of Arizona (2013-14) and Arena Football League's Arizona Rattlers (2013). He received his start in the strength and conditioning field following the conclusion of his NFL playing career, when in 2012, he worked at Triple Threat Performance in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he directed plyometric stations and specific football drills. Clapp is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and USAW1.
Following a standout college career at Oklahoma from 2005-09, the Phoenix, Ariz. native was originally signed as a free agent by the Detroit Lions following the 2010 NFL Draft and had practice squad stints with the Saints (2010), Indianapolis Colts (2010), Lions (2011) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2011). During his college career in Norman, the team captain played in the 2009 BCS Championship Game, was a part of four additional bowl teams and a member of three Big 12 championship squads. Clapp collected first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2008 to go along with academic first-team honors that same campaign.
Clapp earned his bachelor's degree in social science and educational studies from Oklahoma and his master's degree in spots science/coaching principles from Akron.
PLAYING CAREER: Oklahoma, 2008-11; New Orleans Saints, 2010; Indianapolis Colts, 2010; Detroit Lions, 2011; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2011.
COACHING CAREER: Arizona Rattlers (Arena Football League), 2013; University of Arizona, 2013-14; Akron, 2014-15; Indiana, 2015-19; Alabama, 2020-22; New Orleans Saints, 2022-.
