Jesse Herd is in his second year at West Texas A&M, being promoted to Director of Athetic Performance in August of 2025.
Herd, originally from Jacksboro, Texas, came to Canyon from Southeastern Oklahoma State where he was the Assistant Director of Sports Performance. While in Durant, he oversaw the sports performance training for the baseball and men’s basketball programs, while serving as the top assistant for the football program’s sports performance training.
Prior to his time at Durant, Herd worked with the US Army’s Combat Aviation Brigade as a Strength and Conditioning Coach in the Health and Holistic Fitness (H2F) program at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Herd had previous stops at the University of Texas with the football strength and conditioning staff, Ottawa University (KS), and then-fellow Lone Star Conference member Tarleton State.
Herd earned a Master of Arts Degree in Education in 2020 from Ottawa University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology in 2018 from Tarleton State where he was a two-time Collegiate Nationals qualifier as a member of the TSU Powerlifting team.
Herd is Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa), a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), possesses a Level 1 Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR) certification, is CPR/AED/First Aid certified as well as Mental Health First Aid.
