They call him Superior Frakes for a reason. Our newest member of the Sports Advisory Board, Dr. Matt Frakes, joins us today to talk about his journey through academia and into the field. Frakes is a multi-passionate pioneer in the athletics space. As both an RD and CSCS, he is paving the way for bridged communication across all athletic departments. Now the Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Nutrition at Louisiana State University, he’s elevating the standard of care for athletes by learning one department's language at a time.
Tune in to today’s episode for nutrition and lifestyle recommendations to support concussion recovery.
More about Dr. Matt Frakes:
A leader in the sports nutrition field, Dr. Matt Frakes joined Brian Kelly’s staff as Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Nutrition in December of 2021.
Frakes joined LSU after spending the 2021 season as the director of sports nutrition at Notre Dame. Before that, Frakes served a year as a sports dietitian at Louisville, working with several sports, including the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
In his role as Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Nutrition, Frakes will lead the LSU sports nutrition team, overseeing the strategic nutrition direction for all student-athletes on campus. He serves as the director of football nutrition and will have oversight for LSU’s 20 other sports.
While at Louisville, Frakes volunteered his time to co-lead the Black Coaches & Staff Association at Louisville and work with the SOAR (Strategically Organizing Against Racism) Committee.
Prior to moving to the commonwealth in 2020, Frakes finished his Ph.D. in nutrition and hospitality management from the University of Mississippi. His research focused on the impact of nutrition and dietary intake on the recovery of sports-related concussions in student-athletes.
In the final year of his doctorate, Frakes spent a year as the associate director of athletic performance for sports nutrition education at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, where he led a staff of 13 to support the Ragin’ Cajuns student-athletes.
In 2017, Frakes began his collegiate athletic nutrition career when he was named the assistant sports dietitian and graduate instructor at the University of Mississippi. While in Oxford, he directed nutrition education for the nationally recognized baseball program, cross country/track & field programs, and golf programs.
Frakes brings multiple certifications with him to Baton Rouge, including being a registered dietitian-nutritionist (RD), a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), and a level one Anthropometrist (ISAK 1).
An active member in his profession, Frakes is a part of the Collegiate and Professional Dietetic Association (CPSDA) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and a mentor in the Diversity Dietetics Mentorship Program.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Frakes received his B.S. (Dietetics) and M.S. (Food and Nutrition) from Bowling Green State University in 2011 and 2014, respectively.
Connect with Dr. Matt
Instagram: @superiorfrakes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperiorFrakes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfrakes89/
Connect with Ryan
Email: ryandarrow@designsforsport.com
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