Jacob Marucci

As a leader in the field of athletic training and analytics, Jacob “Jack” Marucci enters his 26th season at LSU.

As LSU’s former director of Athletic Training, and now as Director of Performance Innovation, Marucci’s leadership and vision has moved LSU to the forefront of collegiate athletics.

As director of Athletic Training, Marucci oversaw the athletic training operation for all 21 varsity sports. Marucci helped design the Broussard Center for Athletic Training at Tiger Stadium as well as the newly renovated Football Operations Building, which includes an innovative locker room boasting 8,000 square feet and “performance pods” built for relaxation, recovery and comfort.

While at LSU, Marucci spearheaded the “#18” program, also recognized in the College Football Hall of Fame. Each year, the player who demonstrates outstanding leadership and character is awarded the coveted #18 jersey to wear for the season.

At LSU, Marucci has been part of three national football titles. Marucci also served as assistant athletic trainer at Florida State from 1988-96, including eight bowl trips with Coach Bobby Bowden and a national championship. While in Tallahassee, Marucci was a host trainer for two NCAA baseball tournaments.

Marucci graduated from WVU in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, earned his master’s from Alabama in 1988, where he also served as a graduate assistant trainer from 1986-88. He also worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987 and the Cleveland Browns in 1985.

In the field of analytics, Marucci has developed metrics for predicting athlete success, including physical, mental and character assessments that allow athletes to capitalize strengths and maximize performance. He has studied eye tracking in football wide receivers to identify players’ most efficient routes and has established metrics for pass rush and field goal blocks that allow players to be most productive. Marucci also consults with NFL teams on the S2 cognition program.

Marucci is published in 19 sports medicine studies, including one regarding ACL reconstruction and the other assessing head trauma using helmet sensors, both of which changed the landscape across the NCAA.

Off the field, Marucci has mastered crafting wooden baseball bats and founded the Marucci Bat Company. The company, originally started as a backyard workshop, now has hundreds of major leaguers swinging its bats. His latest projects include a collaboration with LSU called Tigeraire, which created cooling devices for athletic helmets, and also crafting drumsticks.