Director of Strength & Conditioning, Middle Tennessee State University
Hickmann is a graduate of Cumberland University with a degree in fitness and wellness, specializing in strength and conditioning. He excelled as a defensive back, earning all-conference honors throughout his college career.
After college, Hickmann trained mixed martial arts athletes and competed at the amateur level earning a 3-0 record. During this time, he interned at his alma mater and worked with football, Hickmann eventually joined the Vanderbilt strength and conditioning program as an intern under John Sisk.
Later, Hickmann became the director of strength and conditioning at Cumberland, working with all university sports. He played a key role in the success of the Bulldogs' football team, which achieved a top-25 NAIA ranking and won a conference championship. Additionally, he worked with the 2010 national championship baseball team and coached All-American wrestlers, including a 157-pound national champion.
Continuing his career alongside Coach Sisk, Hickmann joined Furman University for a year, assisting with football and overseeing seven other teams. He then spent three seasons at Georgia Tech, contributing to the team's Orange Bowl victory in 2014.
Following his time at Georgia Tech, Hickmann served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for football at NC State from 2016-2017. He later became the director of strength and conditioning at Middle Tennessee State University in 2018, leading the teams to multiple successes, including being the 2018 Conference USA Eastern Division Champions and winning the Bahamas Bowl in 2021 and Hawaii Bowl in 2022.
Currently, Hickmann is an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Virginia, working closely with the football program under Adam Smotherman.
