Lebby Finalizes Bulldog Strength & Conditioning Staff
December 19, 2023 | Football
STARKVILLE – New Mississippi State head football coach Jeff Lebby announced Tuesday that the Bulldogs have finalized the program's strength and conditioning staff.
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Williams helped the Ducks win 56 games, capture a pair of conference championships and reach bowl eligibility in all six of his seasons. He also spent time at Wisconsin (2017) and Andrews High School in Texas (2014-16). Williams played college football and baseball at Texas Tech and Alabama. Following his college playing days, Williams signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2004. He enjoyed a four-year NFL career before also playing with the Florida Tuskers and Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. As a running back at Alabama, Williams led the SEC in rushing as a senior in 2003 by racking up 1,367 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns. He ran for 921 yards and five scores as a junior for the Crimson Tide, averaging 7.1 yards per carry.
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Erich Anthony joins the Bulldogs as the assistant strength and conditioning coach from Tulsa, where he was the assistant athletic director for performance the last six seasons.
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Anthony went to Tulsa in January 2018 with eight years of strength and conditioning experience on the collegiate level. He oversaw the athletic performance staff and worked directly with the sport of football. Prior to Tulsa, Anthony spent the 2017 season as the associate director of applied performance at the University of Texas, working with football. Before that, he spent a year and a half as the director of applied performance for football at Missouri. Previously, Anthony spent six years at Iowa State – first as a student assistant, then as a graduate assistant before his promotion to a full-time strength and conditioning position in the spring of 2013. Anthony has been involved in every aspect of strength and conditioning – from developing, implementing and monitoring speed, strength and conditioning programs, developing nutrition programs for student-athletes to managing budgets.
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A graduate of Mississippi State, Jarwarski Beckum returns to Starkville as the assistant strength and conditioning coach/director of speed after serving in a similar role at Oregon over the last two seasons. Â
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Beckum helped develop the Ducks into one of the fastest teams in college football. Prior to his tenure in Eugene, he spent two seasons (2020-21) at Ole Miss as the assistant director of football strength and conditioning. Before his time in Oxford, Beckum served three seasons as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Nevada. Beckum helped develop seven All-Americans, 14 first-team all-conference players, and nine future NFL players while at Grambling State as the director of strength and conditioning. Beckum began his career as a volunteer intern at Alabama before being promoted to an assistant strength coach role. While with the Crimson Tide, he served as the speed coach for football, women's basketball, and softball.
Christian Buchanan heads to Mississippi State following two seasons at UCLA on the strength and conditioning staff, helping the Bruins to back-to-back nine- and eight-win seasons. Prior to his time in Los Angeles, Buchanan spent the 2021 season at Southern Miss. He graduated from Ole Miss in 2020.
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David Underwood comes to Starkville from Houston where he spent the 2023 season as the assistant strength and performance coach.
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Before Houston, Underwood spent two years at TCU as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach, primarily working with its football program, as well as the cross country and baseball teams. Prior to that, he spent one year with SMU's football program. From 2018-2021, Underwood served as an assistant strength and conditioning and running backs coach at Lewisville High School in Lewisville, Texas. While coaching on the high school level, Underwood started his own business, Mach 5 Sports, in Dallas, Texas. In 2010, Underwood served as head strength and conditioning coach and varsity running back coach at Richardson Canyon Creek Academy. Underwood started as a strength coach at Michigan, assisting the director of strength and conditioning with the daily operations for men's football, basketball and hockey. Prior to his career in strength and conditioning, Underwood spent time in NFL Training Camps with the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills as a running back. Underwood also played football for four years at Michigan from 2001-05.
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- Shaud Williams (head strength and conditioning coach)
- Erich Anthony (assistant strength and conditioning coach)
- Jarwarski Beckum (assistant strength and conditioning coach/director of speed)
- Christian Buchanan (assistant strength and conditioning coach)
- David Underwood (assistant strength and conditioning coach)
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Williams helped the Ducks win 56 games, capture a pair of conference championships and reach bowl eligibility in all six of his seasons. He also spent time at Wisconsin (2017) and Andrews High School in Texas (2014-16). Williams played college football and baseball at Texas Tech and Alabama. Following his college playing days, Williams signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2004. He enjoyed a four-year NFL career before also playing with the Florida Tuskers and Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. As a running back at Alabama, Williams led the SEC in rushing as a senior in 2003 by racking up 1,367 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns. He ran for 921 yards and five scores as a junior for the Crimson Tide, averaging 7.1 yards per carry.
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Erich Anthony joins the Bulldogs as the assistant strength and conditioning coach from Tulsa, where he was the assistant athletic director for performance the last six seasons.
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Anthony went to Tulsa in January 2018 with eight years of strength and conditioning experience on the collegiate level. He oversaw the athletic performance staff and worked directly with the sport of football. Prior to Tulsa, Anthony spent the 2017 season as the associate director of applied performance at the University of Texas, working with football. Before that, he spent a year and a half as the director of applied performance for football at Missouri. Previously, Anthony spent six years at Iowa State – first as a student assistant, then as a graduate assistant before his promotion to a full-time strength and conditioning position in the spring of 2013. Anthony has been involved in every aspect of strength and conditioning – from developing, implementing and monitoring speed, strength and conditioning programs, developing nutrition programs for student-athletes to managing budgets.
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A graduate of Mississippi State, Jarwarski Beckum returns to Starkville as the assistant strength and conditioning coach/director of speed after serving in a similar role at Oregon over the last two seasons. Â
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Beckum helped develop the Ducks into one of the fastest teams in college football. Prior to his tenure in Eugene, he spent two seasons (2020-21) at Ole Miss as the assistant director of football strength and conditioning. Before his time in Oxford, Beckum served three seasons as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Nevada. Beckum helped develop seven All-Americans, 14 first-team all-conference players, and nine future NFL players while at Grambling State as the director of strength and conditioning. Beckum began his career as a volunteer intern at Alabama before being promoted to an assistant strength coach role. While with the Crimson Tide, he served as the speed coach for football, women's basketball, and softball.
Christian Buchanan heads to Mississippi State following two seasons at UCLA on the strength and conditioning staff, helping the Bruins to back-to-back nine- and eight-win seasons. Prior to his time in Los Angeles, Buchanan spent the 2021 season at Southern Miss. He graduated from Ole Miss in 2020.
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David Underwood comes to Starkville from Houston where he spent the 2023 season as the assistant strength and performance coach.
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Before Houston, Underwood spent two years at TCU as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach, primarily working with its football program, as well as the cross country and baseball teams. Prior to that, he spent one year with SMU's football program. From 2018-2021, Underwood served as an assistant strength and conditioning and running backs coach at Lewisville High School in Lewisville, Texas. While coaching on the high school level, Underwood started his own business, Mach 5 Sports, in Dallas, Texas. In 2010, Underwood served as head strength and conditioning coach and varsity running back coach at Richardson Canyon Creek Academy. Underwood started as a strength coach at Michigan, assisting the director of strength and conditioning with the daily operations for men's football, basketball and hockey. Prior to his career in strength and conditioning, Underwood spent time in NFL Training Camps with the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills as a running back. Underwood also played football for four years at Michigan from 2001-05.
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