Bold claim first: Notre Dame’s strength program loses a steadying force as longtime assistant Fred Hale moves to the NFL. And this is the part people often miss: the move shifts a familiar brick in the Irish’s foundation just as the program looks to push forward.
A Notre Dame football strength and conditioning coach is headed to the professional ranks, but not to the program you might expect. Multiple sources told FootballScoop that Fred Hale, a veteran assistant who has been with the Irish for five years, is leaving Notre Dame to join Nick Sirianni’s Philadelphia Eagles staff in the NFL. Hale is slated to serve as the Eagles’ assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Inside Notre Dame, head strength leader Loren Landow has been approached by several NFL teams in recent weeks. Yet, according to Notre Dame insiders, Landow told people within the program last week that he plans to remain in college football. Landow previously directed strength and conditioning for the Denver Broncos and has operated multiple training facilities around Denver.
Hale’s departure marks the loss of a stabilizing presence in Notre Dame’s strength program. He was elevated to interim director of strength and conditioning for the football program in 2023 after the abrupt resignation of former top coach Matt Balis. Hale took the reins at the outset of fall camp in 2023, Marcus Freeman’s second year guiding the Irish. That season ended 10-3, highlighted by a convincing Sun Bowl win over Oregon State.
Before arriving at Notre Dame, Hale spent a significant stint at Eastern Michigan University beginning in 2014, where he rose to co-director of EMU sports performance and worked extensively with the football strength program.
Hale’s wife, Valerie Hale, is also a Notre Dame strength and conditioning staff member, serving as an assistant coach focusing on the university’s Olympic sports programs.
Other Notre Dame strength staff includes assistants Richard Guarascio, Miles Axtell, and Tony Fusco, under Landow’s supervision. Notre Dame recently closed a 10-2 season, carried momentum from a run to the College Football Playoff Championship game a year earlier, and is preparing for spring practice in late March. The program will conclude its 15-session, five-week spring camp with the Blue & Gold Game on April 25 at Notre Dame Stadium.
Looking ahead, Notre Dame welcomes back many key starters on both sides of the ball and added a nationally recognized high school recruiting class along with a strong transfer class since the 2025 CFP field left them out. The Irish will open their 2026 season on Sunday, September 6, hosting Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin Badgers at Lambeau Field, home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.
