Ryan Napoli returned to North Dakota State University as the director of athletic performance for football under head coach Tim Polasek in 2024.
Napoli, who originally came to NDSU in 2011 after one year as an intern at the U.S. Air Force Academy, spent six seasons at NDSU from 2011 through 2016 working with the Bison football, wrestling and track and field teams. He was on staff for NDSU's first five FCS national championships.
Napoli went on to become the football strength and conditioning coach at Southeast Missouri State in 2017 and 2018, the director of sports performance for Northern Illinois football in 2019, and then returned to SEMO in 2020 to spend four seasons as the director of sports performance.
Napoli graduated in 2010 from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, with a bachelor's degree in exercise science. He was a three-year letterwinner for the Simpson wrestling team, competing at 174 and 184 pounds during his career, and he served as an undergraduate strength and conditioning assistant for Simpson from 2007-2010.
Napoli earned a master's degree in health, nutrition and exercise science from NDSU in 2016.
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