Kainon Clark was hired as the WKU Football Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning in January 2021. The 2025 season will be his fifth on The Hill.
Clark directs all sport science for WKU Football, as well as the implementation of the quarterback strength training program.
Since his arrival in Bowling Green, Clark has been a part of the 2021 Boca Raton Bowl, the 2022 New Orleans Bowl and the 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl championship-winning teams, as well as WKU's 2021 Conference USA East Division championship team. WKU has had five NFL Draft picks while Clark has been in his current role, including four consecutive years with picks in the first three rounds in defensive end DeAngelo Malone, nose tackle Brodric Martin, receiver Malachi Corley and defensive back Upton Stout. Malone was selected with the 82nd overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, Martin was the 96th overall pick by the Detroit Lions in 2023, Corley was the 65th overall pick – becoming the second-highest drafted Hilltopper ever – in the 2024 NFL Draft by the New York Jets and Stout was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 100th overall pick in the 2025 Draft. Quarterback Bailey Zappe was picked by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. In addition to the five NFL Draft picks, numerous other WKU Football players have signed free agent deals and received camp invitations.
Clark worked at Central Arkansas from August 2019 to January 2021 as a Graduate Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. While assisting with football he was solely responsible for the Bears' strength and conditioning programs for softball, men's and women's field events, men's and women's distance/cross country and men's golf. He was a part of the football team's 2019 Southland Conference championship, while softball player Kayla Crutchmer led Division I with 31 stolen bases in 2020.
Prior to Central Arkansas, Clark served as a strength and conditioning intern coach for Notre Dame Football, Arkansas State Football, Yale Univerity and Northern Michigan University.
Clark began his coaching career at Northern Michigan after playing for the Wildcats' football team in 2016 and 2017. He played defensive tackle and was named Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2016 after transferring from Coffeyville Community College, where he played two seasons.
Clark earned his bachelor's degree from Northern Michigan in 2018. He also earned a master's degree from Central Arkansas in 2021.
Clark holds certifications for the NSCA-CSCS and CSCCa-SCCC.
