Football
Artis, A.J.
A.J. Artis
- Title:
- Director of Football Sports Performance
Follow Coach Artis on Twitter
A.J. Artis enters his third season on Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee staff and his first as the Vols’ director of football sports performance. Artis was promoted to the head role officially on June 15, 2020.
Artis, who has played a valuable role in the strength and conditioning development of the Volunteers since 2018, replaced Craig Fitzgerald, who accepted a similar position with the New York Giants in the spring of 2020. Artis served alongside Fitzgerald as UT became one of the fittest teams in the country.
Prior to his arrival in Knoxville, Artis spent two seasons at Duke working as assistant director of strength and conditioning. He joined the Blue Devils in the summer of 2016 and primarily trained the football and field hockey programs. He also helped direct high-performance efforts with several other varsity sports. The Duke field hockey squad he trained in 2016 was ranked in the top five for the entire season and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
Artis collaborated with head football sports performance coach Noel Durfey during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The 2017 Blue Devils won the Quick Lane Bowl led by future NFL first round draft choice Daniel Jones, who Artis worked with.
Artis’ time at Duke was preceded by stints at Appalachian State and Campbell. As a graduate assistant at Appalachian State, he worked with the Mountaineers football program, which recorded its first-ever bowl win during his tenure. Appalachian State, in just its second season in the Football Bowl Subdivision, beat Ohio in the 2015 Crampton Bowl. Artis also oversaw the strength and conditioning efforts of the Mountaineers’ field hockey and golf programs.
At Campbell, he logged valuable experience with football, baseball, men's and women's basketball, soccer, softball, track & field and wrestling.
Artis was a three-year football letterman at Campbell from 2012-14, playing wide receiver as an underclassmen before transitioning to tight end his last two seasons. He was a three-time academic honor roll member and graduated with a degree in exercise science in 2015. He later earned a master's degree in exercise science from Appalachian State in 2017.
A native of Eden, North Carolina, Artis is married to the former D Janelle Brown of Edmond, Oklahoma.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT A.J. ARTIS …
“A.J. understands the standard we expect in this role and will continue to push our strength and conditioning efforts to the forefront of college football. Since he first joined our staff in 2018, he has helped instill physical and mental toughness in our program through his contagious energy, hard work and innovation. Our players have tremendous respect for him, and I have no doubt they will continue to develop under his mentorship.”
-- Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee Head Football Coach
“Coach Pruitt and Coach Fulmer made an excellent decision to promote A.J. Artis to the head strength and conditioning position at Tennessee. A.J. along with Mike Farrell, Byron Jerideau and Shaq Wilson will take this SEC program to the next level with their innovative, organized, motivational, high energy and relationship-building approach.”
-- Craig Fitzgerald, New York Giants Director of Strength and Performance and former Tennessee Director of Sports Performance
“First and foremost, congratulations to A.J. I couldn’t be more excited for A.J. and this opportunity – I know he’ll be a terrific representative of the University of Tennessee and its football program. From our initial encounter at Duke, I was impressed with his personal drive to be successful and doing things the right way. A.J. is an excellent communicator, is very knowledgeable about college football as it pertains to strength and conditioning and has a very strong passion for helping young men achieve success.”
-- David Cutcliffe, Duke Head Football Coach
A.J. Artis enters his third season on Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee staff and his first as the Vols’ director of football sports performance. Artis was promoted to the head role officially on June 15, 2020.
THE ARTIS FILE
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Born: August 14, 1993
Hometown: Eden, North Carolina
Education: Bachelor's in exercise science (Campbell, 2015); Master’s in exercise science (Appalachian State, 2017)
Playing Experience: Campbell, WR/TE (2011-14)
Wife: Janelle
COACHING HISTORY
2014-15: Campbell, Strength and Conditioning Intern
2015-16: Appalachian State, Strength and Conditioning Graduate Assistant
2016-18: Duke, Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning
2018-20: Tennessee, Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance
2020-present: Tennessee, Director of Football Sports Performance
Prior to his arrival in Knoxville, Artis spent two seasons at Duke working as assistant director of strength and conditioning. He joined the Blue Devils in the summer of 2016 and primarily trained the football and field hockey programs. He also helped direct high-performance efforts with several other varsity sports. The Duke field hockey squad he trained in 2016 was ranked in the top five for the entire season and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
Artis collaborated with head football sports performance coach Noel Durfey during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The 2017 Blue Devils won the Quick Lane Bowl led by future NFL first round draft choice Daniel Jones, who Artis worked with.
Artis’ time at Duke was preceded by stints at Appalachian State and Campbell. As a graduate assistant at Appalachian State, he worked with the Mountaineers football program, which recorded its first-ever bowl win during his tenure. Appalachian State, in just its second season in the Football Bowl Subdivision, beat Ohio in the 2015 Crampton Bowl. Artis also oversaw the strength and conditioning efforts of the Mountaineers’ field hockey and golf programs.
At Campbell, he logged valuable experience with football, baseball, men's and women's basketball, soccer, softball, track & field and wrestling.
Artis was a three-year football letterman at Campbell from 2012-14, playing wide receiver as an underclassmen before transitioning to tight end his last two seasons. He was a three-time academic honor roll member and graduated with a degree in exercise science in 2015. He later earned a master's degree in exercise science from Appalachian State in 2017.
A native of Eden, North Carolina, Artis is married to the former D Janelle Brown of Edmond, Oklahoma.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT A.J. ARTIS …
“A.J. understands the standard we expect in this role and will continue to push our strength and conditioning efforts to the forefront of college football. Since he first joined our staff in 2018, he has helped instill physical and mental toughness in our program through his contagious energy, hard work and innovation. Our players have tremendous respect for him, and I have no doubt they will continue to develop under his mentorship.”
-- Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee Head Football Coach
“Coach Pruitt and Coach Fulmer made an excellent decision to promote A.J. Artis to the head strength and conditioning position at Tennessee. A.J. along with Mike Farrell, Byron Jerideau and Shaq Wilson will take this SEC program to the next level with their innovative, organized, motivational, high energy and relationship-building approach.”
-- Craig Fitzgerald, New York Giants Director of Strength and Performance and former Tennessee Director of Sports Performance
“First and foremost, congratulations to A.J. I couldn’t be more excited for A.J. and this opportunity – I know he’ll be a terrific representative of the University of Tennessee and its football program. From our initial encounter at Duke, I was impressed with his personal drive to be successful and doing things the right way. A.J. is an excellent communicator, is very knowledgeable about college football as it pertains to strength and conditioning and has a very strong passion for helping young men achieve success.”
-- David Cutcliffe, Duke Head Football Coach
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