LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Athletics and Kansas Team Health announced today that Matt Gildersleeve has been hired as the Director of Sports Performance for Kansas Football.

In his role, Gildersleeve will oversee the strength and conditioning program for the Jayhawks.

The Phoenix native spent the past two seasons with head coach Lance Leipold at Buffalo, where he directed the team’s strength program, nutrition program and fueling station.

“Matt is going to be a tremendous addition to our staff here in Lawrence,” Leipold said. “Not only is he an exceptional strength and conditioning coach, he is a man of high character and does an outstanding job establishing culture and accountability, which is needed in a winning football program. He did a great job with our student-athletes in Buffalo, and we’re very excited about the impact he will make here.”

During his two seasons with Buffalo, the Bulls went 14-6 and won back-to-back bowl games. In 2019, Buffalo topped Charlotte for the program’s first-ever bowl game victory. Last season, the Bulls went 6-1, and beat Marshall in the Camellia Bowl.

Gildersleeve arrived at Buffalo from Akron, where he spent seven seasons with the Zips. In his final three seasons at Akron, Gildersleeve served as the director of football strength and conditioning and helped the program win the 2017 MAC East Division title.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Mount Union in 2012, and was a four-year letterwinner at tight end for the Purple Raiders. He was also a member of the Dean’s List as a student and was a part of four Ohio Athletic Conference championships and was a member of the 2008 national championship team.

Gildersleeve earned a master’s degree in sport science and coaching principles from Akron in 2014. He worked as a graduate assistant at Akron until he was named assistant director of football strength and conditioning in 2014.
Gildersleeve is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is Precision Nutrition Level I certified.

He is married to Ana Martin-Sacristan, a former Academic All-MAC long jumper and runner from Akron. They have a daughter, Mia.