Payton Russell joined the Missouri State staff as an assistant strength and conditioning coach in July 2025 and oversees the department's Olympic sports.
Russell made his way to Springfield after spending the last two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he served as the head strength and conditioning coach for softball and men’s golf. He also assisted with the baseball, beach volleyball, women’s golf and women’s tennis teams at Southern Miss.
Prior to his time at Southern Miss, Russell spent a year as a strength and conditioning assistant at the University of Kentucky. While in Lexington, he was directly responsible for the coaching and oversight of Co-ed cheer and STUNT, in addition to assisting with multiple other teams. Russell also served as a strength and conditioning intern at Mississippi College.
In college, Russell was a member of the Baton Rouge Community College, Delgado Community College and Mississippi College baseball teams.
Russell earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Mississippi College in 2022, before obtaining his master’s degree in Kinesiology from Southern Miss in May 2025.
