Maryland Football’s Coordinator of Sport Science Dustin Plankey joins host Ron McKeefery to break down how a data-first, athlete-centered approach actually works on the floor and on the field. From blending athletic training with S&C to simplifying GPS/force-plate chaos into a few actionable KPIs, Dustin shares how to earn athlete buy-in, shape practice loads, and turn numbers into better performance—and healthier players.

01:00 Why blend AT + S&C into “performance”04:00 Asking better questions in sport science06:30 NFL vs. college: buy-in & athlete choice11:00 Maryland’s Sport Science & Innovation Committee14:30 Cutting the noise: focusing on 5 KPIs18:00 Turning GPS/force plate data into action22:30 Adjusting training loads without cutting practice25:00 Worst-case modeling & density in conditioning33:00 Rapid-fire wrap-up: tools, overrated, underrated