After parting ways with former director of sports performance for football Jay Hooten, Northwestern head coach David Braun is expected to promote Alex Spanos to fill the vacancy, The Inside Zone’s Matt Fortuna reported Wednesday.

SOURCES: Northwestern is set to promote Alex Spanos to director of sports performance for football, replacing Jay Hooten.

Spanos, a player and fan favorite, has been in the Wildcats’ strength department since 2015. https://t.co/fxngM3kAGM pic.twitter.com/6GHBkDla11

— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) February 7, 2024

With Hooten removed from the post he’d held since 2011, Braun opted to hire a fan favorite from within the program.

Spanos has served on the Wildcats’ staff since 2015, coaching under Hooten. The former assistant director of football performance became a viral sensation during the 2017 and 2018 seasons for his vivacious energy and “smedium” shirts — which are a size large, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Donning his typical purple polo regardless of temperatures, Spanos once again assumed his role as NU’s de facto hype man in its 2023 campaign. The strength and conditioning specialist greeted players exiting the tunnel with patented praise, and his vigor spanned the sidelines.

Now, Spanos will likely return to his “hype man” role during the 2024 season, but the 5-foot-10, 210-pound sideline spark plug will do so with a flashy new title, directing the squad’s strength and conditioning operations.

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