Without any fanfare, one of the new positions Coach Mark Stoops created for the program was filled. Kentucky now has a new Football Performance Coordinator. It was filled by Erik Korem, who follows Stoops and UK defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot from Florida State.
The Herald-Leader learned about the hiring and contract via an open records request. Korem, who was an assistant strength and conditioning coach/speed and nutrition specialist for the Seminoles, signed his nearly three-year deal with Kentucky on Dec. 12.
The contract, which ends June 30, 2016, will pay Korem $210,000 annually with built-in incentives.
In the initial job posting on the Kentucky website, Korem’s job was described as a person, “responsible for ensuring that football student athletes are receiving proper nutrition advice and that their mental state is being addressed. They will serve as the strength and conditioning liaison between other athletic departments.”
The Texas A&M graduate joined the Florida State staff from Mississippi State in 2010. He was an assistant strength and conditioning coach there as well as a professor in the exercise science department.
According to his bio on Florida State’s athletics website, Korem has done “extensive work with world-class track & field sprinters,” including Lexington native Tyson Gay in 2008 when he broke the American record in the 100-meter dash.
