Iowa State announced the hire of Yanci McKnight as the director of strength and conditioning for the football team on Wednesday.

McKnight came from Rice, where he was the assistant athletics director of performance enhancement since 2006.

He has worked with several NFL players, including Tatum Bell, Kevin Williams, Antonio Smith, Billy Bajema, and Charlie Johnson.

“In Yancy we have a proven motivator whose personal mental toughness was a key factor in the comeback of Rice football,” head coach Paul Rhoads said in a news release. “Rice won several games late in the fourth quarter during Yancy’s time there in part because of the training regimen. He won the loyalty and respect of the student-athletes under his care.”