Coaching Academy Staff

Professional headshot of Dr. John Thornton

Robert “Nate” Young

Veterans Coaching Program Coordinator

After having served over 20 years in the U.S. Army with a majority of his career as a Special Forces Soldier “Green Beret”, Nate Young began pursuing a career as a strength and conditioning coach. He is now attending Texas A&M University to pursue a Master’s in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Physiology. Nate also founded and coordinates the Veterans Coaching Program at the Texas A&M Thornton-McFerrin Coaching Academy.

In 2022, Nate assumed responsibility for the strength and conditioning program for the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Ranger Challenge Team in College Station, Texas. In April 2022, Nate led the Ranger Challenge Team to a 9th place finish (out of 48 teams) in the Sandhurst 2022 Competition at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.  In spring of 2022, Nate began an internship with the Texas A&M Men’s and Women’s Swim & Dive team in College Station, Texas.  Prior to the internship, Nate began volunteering in the weight room at Bryan High School and at the College Station High School Elite Camp in Bryan/College Station, Texas. Before his arrival to Texas A&M, Nate was the 127e Program Manager at Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) at MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) in Tampa, Florida.  He managed seven programs that spanned across five different Middle Eastern countries.

Prior to his assignment at MacDill AFB, he served in the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky where he held the position of Special Forces Communications, Intelligence and Operations Sergeant. He has multiple deployments to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey.

During Nate’s military career, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Troy University (distance learning).