At a glance, it seemed like an ordinary Friday morning inside the Richard E. Lindner Athletics Center on the University of Cincinnati's main campus.
But on the 200 level of the building just off Nippert Stadium, through a lengthy hallway and on the other side of a set of double doors, awaited one of the most anticipated events on the Cincinnati Bearcats football team's offseason calendar – Squat Fest 2K22.
Loud music pumped through the speakers and strobe lights cut through the dark, smoke-filled air, as Cincinnati Director of Football Sports Performance Brady Collins jump-started his fourth intensely designed workout session inside UC's weight room.
Collins – donning an "Iron sharpens iron" black hooded sweatshirt and a pair of red, black and white Zubaz pants – put together a series of exercises filled with squat racks, push-ups, sit-ups, leg raises and a netted-off section where players beat up dummy pads covered with opposing team logos.
While DJ OZ provided the music, players sweated out their final workout before taking a weeklong break from their preparation for the 2022 season. All while one of Collins' assistants walked stalkingly around the room in a Michael Myers Halloween costume.
Friday marked Cincinnati's fourth Squat Fest. The event, which started in 2018 as a simple "heavy squat day," has grown into a chaotic yet controlled highlight of the Bearcats' summer spawned by the imaginations of Collins and his staff.
"We have as much fun as anybody in the country while working hard, so I want to give back as much as I can," said the 36-year-old Collins. "How do you do that? You make it an environment where they just have no choice but to grind – which they do anyway – but have fun. You add lights, you've got a DJ, you've got crazy stuff everywhere. To my staff's credit and just the way we've done things every year, it just gets better and better and better. It's safe to say this one was definitely the most craziest one. I'm really proud of them."
Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell brought Collins with him from Ohio State shortly after Fickell took over the UC program in December 2016. With Fickell's leadership on the field and Collins' guidance in the weight room, Cincinnati has developed into one of the most successful programs in the country, winning 44 of its last 51 games, capturing back-to-back American Athletic Conference championships and advancing to last season's College Football Playoff.
Following the team's spring camp in April, Fickell said the Bearcats' success this season again hinges largely in part on the players' time with Collins over the summer. The players agree.
"He's the heart and soul of this team," graduate linebacker Wil Huber said. "He is the electric factor. He brings energy every day. He doesn't have an off switch. When he's here, he's ready to go."
Fickell's usually the one filling the room with energy, but on Friday, the sixth-year Cincinnati coach watched from a distance as Collins took the lead.
With Fickell lurking in the shadows, and 2022 NFL Draft picks Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Jerome Ford and Darrian Beavers cheering on their former teammates, the Bearcats made their way through the grueling workout. Some (junior sniper Deshawn Pace) wore sunglasses, while others (senior tight end Josh Whyle) sported face paint. All of the them maneuvered the space surrounded in red and black "Danger/Peligro (Spanish translation for danger)" tape with the common goal of getting better and building toward another year of dominance.
"The important thing for me today was just getting guys going, bring guys along, just bring the brothers with me," Huber said. "Everybody wants to squat heavy, wants to bench heavy, but the reality is, the team aspect is more important than any numbers you're going to put up."
Though it wasn't Collins' goal to see who could lift the most, some players still stepped up to the challenge, including senior wide receiver Tre Tucker and junior wide receiver Tyler Scott. Tucker (5 feet, 9 inches and 175 pounds) and Scott (5 feet, 11 inches, 177 pounds) both squatted 600 pounds, more than three times their body weight.
"We've got to set the standard," Tucker said. "That's the main thing. Tyler, he's like my brother. He's a great leader as well."
Tucker crossed another item off his to-do list this summer. The speedster improved his 40-yard dash time, running a personal-best 4.29.
"I've been training really hard," Tucker said. "To me, it's just a token of my hard work and God."
Tucker also credited Collins with helping him get into the best shape of his career.
"I love Coach Brady," he said. "When you're going to college, there's really like two people you spend the most time with: it's your strength coach and your position coach. We spend the most time with Coach Brady. ... He's awesome. I love him. He pushes me. He's high energy, I mean, every day. If you come in with low energy, it's just not going to fly with him. He really knows what he's doing.
"I was a track guy so hearing I have to add weight, I was kind of like, 'Nah. I don't want to lose my speed.' But I haven't run track in four years and I'm somehow getting faster."
In between a few encouraging phrases and a couple of friendly expletives, the word Collins uttered most often Friday was "Fayetteville," as in Fayetteville, Arkansas. That's where the Bearcats will open their 2022 season.
In 64 days, Cincinnati will look to keep its momentum going when it takes on Southeastern Conference foe Arkansas on Saturday, Sept. 3 in a nationally televised showdown (3:30 p.m. on ESPN).
"That countdown's already started," Tucker said. "We just wrapped up Squat Fest. Now, we come back with OTAs and get ready for training camp. All training camp, we're just going to hear "Fayetteville, Fayetteville." By the time it comes, we're going to be tired of hearing it."