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University of Minnesota Athletics
Football
Grant DePalma
- Title:
- Athletic Performance Assistant
- Email:
- gdepalma@umn.edu
Grant DePalma joined the University of Minnesota athletic performance staff in February 2026 as an Athletic Performance Assistant.
DePalma contributes to athlete monitoring, recovery protocols, and performance tracking systems, while also helping coordinate daily training operations, including warm-up protocols, strength sessions, and speed development work. He works closely with football performance, coaching and athletic training staffs to support student-athlete development.
Prior to joining Minnesota, DePalma operated his own private training business, where he delivered football performance training and linebacker development for professional, collegiate and high school athletes. He designed individualized programs focused on speed, strength and movement, while providing position-specific instruction in linebacker play, including tackling, pursuit mechanics and field awareness.
DePalma served as an Athletic Performance Coach and Inside Linebacker Skills Coach at WIN Performance from 2021-25, where he trained athletes across the professional, collegiate and high school levels. His work emphasized durability, availability, and long-term athlete development within a high-performance training environment.
DePalma played linebacker for the Seahawks Gdynia in Poland in 2017, where he contributed both on the field and in team training and preparation.
He began his collegiate career at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he earned Team MVP and All-HCAC honors, before transferring to Western Michigan University, where he played for head coach P.J. Fleck.
DePalma competed at Western Michigan from 2013 to 2015, serving as a team captain and helping lead the program to its first bowl victory in school history. He finished his career with 146 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and four sacks.
DePalma graduated from Western Michigan in 2015 with a degree in construction engineering.
A native of Arlington Heights, Illinois, he is a graduate of Prospect High School.
DePalma contributes to athlete monitoring, recovery protocols, and performance tracking systems, while also helping coordinate daily training operations, including warm-up protocols, strength sessions, and speed development work. He works closely with football performance, coaching and athletic training staffs to support student-athlete development.
Prior to joining Minnesota, DePalma operated his own private training business, where he delivered football performance training and linebacker development for professional, collegiate and high school athletes. He designed individualized programs focused on speed, strength and movement, while providing position-specific instruction in linebacker play, including tackling, pursuit mechanics and field awareness.
DePalma served as an Athletic Performance Coach and Inside Linebacker Skills Coach at WIN Performance from 2021-25, where he trained athletes across the professional, collegiate and high school levels. His work emphasized durability, availability, and long-term athlete development within a high-performance training environment.
DePalma played linebacker for the Seahawks Gdynia in Poland in 2017, where he contributed both on the field and in team training and preparation.
He began his collegiate career at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he earned Team MVP and All-HCAC honors, before transferring to Western Michigan University, where he played for head coach P.J. Fleck.
DePalma competed at Western Michigan from 2013 to 2015, serving as a team captain and helping lead the program to its first bowl victory in school history. He finished his career with 146 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and four sacks.
DePalma graduated from Western Michigan in 2015 with a degree in construction engineering.
A native of Arlington Heights, Illinois, he is a graduate of Prospect High School.
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