WILL HICKS has recently rejoined the Syracuse University football staff. The longtime strength and conditioning coach, who spent the past five years as a member of the ‘Cuse Athletics Fund, will serve as the football program’s director of player engagement. In this role, Hicks will create engagement programs for student-athletes off the field, specifically with Syracuse community members and alumni. He will provide current student-athletes with networking opportunities and work with alumni and community members to identify name, image, and likeliness (NIL) opportunities for athletes. Despite moving to the football staff, Hicks will continue to work alongside the ‘Cuse Athletics Fund, where he plays an important role in engaging football alumni and serve as a point of contact to steward football donors. Hicks was most recently the director of development for the ‘Cuse Athletics Fund. Before that, he was the executive director of the Varsity Club & athletic alumni engagement, where he provided leadership for the Varsity Club, managed relationships with all current and former Syracuse NFL players, and served as a staff liaison to all other associated athletic clubs and organizations. Prior to his tenure in development, Hicks spent 16 seasons leading the Syracuse football strength and conditioning program from 2000-15 and was an assistant athletic director for athletic performance from 2016-18, leading strength and conditioning programs for Olympic sports. Prior to his time at Syracuse, Hicks spent more than a decade on the strength and conditioning staff at N.C. State, including 1996-2000 when he served as the Wolfpack’s assistant athletics director for football operations and head strength and conditioning coach.