Eric Donoval is in his sixth year serving as Director of Sports Performance for Cowboy Football and his eighth overall year at Wyoming. Donoval has been a member of the Wyoming Football strength and conditioning staff since January of 2018. He was the Associate Director of Sports Performance for Wyoming Football in 2018 and ‘19 before being promoted to the head position in January of 2020. In his current role, he oversees all strength and conditioning training for the Cowboy Football program, including supervising a staff of full-time assistants and graduate assistant coaches that work directly with football.
His first two years at Wyoming, Donoval was instrumental in working with the Cowboy Football skill positions, tailoring their strength and conditioning programs specifically to their position needs. During that time, he was very successful in helping Wyoming achieve bowl eligibility each of those two seasons and win the 2019 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl Championship.
Donoval and his staff helped develop a Wyoming team that entered the 2022 college football season as the fourth youngest team in the country but went on to record a 7-6 record, finish second in the Mountain West Conference Mountain Division and earn a spot in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl. Along the way the ‘22 Pokes defeated rivals Air Force, Colorado State, Hawai’i, Utah State and American Athletic Conference member Tulsa. Wyoming’s 7-6 record gave them their fifth winning season in the past seven seasons.
In 2021, Donoval developed the Cowboys on way to a 7-6 season and a dominating 52-38 win over Kent State in the 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. It was Wyoming’s third consecutive bowl victory. The 52 points were the most scored by a Wyoming team in school history.
Donoval came to Wyoming from Louisiana State University (LSU) where he was an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the LSU football program from 2013-17. He worked directly in training the Tiger defensive backs and wide receivers. Donoval also created and taught the speed workouts for the entire Tiger football team. He was the head of the Polar GPS monitoring system utilized by LSU football to monitor and evaluate student-athletes’ physical activity during both training sessions and competitions. He worked with the highly-respected strength and conditioning coach, Tommy Moffitt, at LSU. Donoval and his staff also use the Polar GPS system at Wyoming to monitor the performance of Wyoming Cowboy Football student-athletes.
Donoval has had the opportunity to work with some elite athletes at both Wyoming and LSU. At Wyoming, he has trained a number of players who went on to the NFL. The most recent of those Cowboys was linebacker Chad Muma, who in 2021 earned Second Team All-America honors from both the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Pro Football Focus and received Third Team All-America recognition from Associated Press. He was also one of six national finalists for the Butkus Award. Muma was the Sixth Pick in the Third Round (70th overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 NFL Draft. Among other former Cowboys who Donoval worked with who went on to the NFL were: Marcus Epps, Carl Granderson, Tyler Hall, Cassh Maluia, Logan Wilson and Andrew Wingard. Donoval also worked with a number of high NFL Draft picks at LSU, including: Jamal Adams, Odell Beckham Jr., Leonard Fournette, Jarvis Landry, Tyrann Mathieu, Patrick Peterson, Devin White and Tre’Davious White.
Prior to becoming a full-time assistant at LSU, Donoval served as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Tigers starting in the summer of 2010 through 2012. He worked with the sports of football and baseball as a graduate assistant, while serving as the head strength coach for both women’s volleyball and men’s golf.
During his time at LSU, the Tigers won the Cotton Bowl at the conclusion of the 2010 season. LSU played in the BCS National Championship game following the 2011 season, finishing as the national runner-up to Alabama. In 2012, LSU appeared in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. The Tigers won the Outback Bowl following the 2013 season and appeared in the Music City Bowl in 2014. LSU captured the Texas Bowl Championship in 2015, won the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in 2016 and appeared in the Citrus Bowl following the 2017 season.
Donoval was a student strength and conditioning coach and mentor at his alma mater, Wisconsin-La Crosse, from January 2008 to April 2010 while completing his undergraduate degree.
He was an accomplished college running back and return specialist at Wisconsin-La Crosse, earning First Team All-Conference honors as a return specialist and Honorable Mention All-Conference honors as a running back as a senior in 2008. Donoval was named his team’s MVP in 2008. He also earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors as a return specialist as a junior in 2007. He lettered in football all four years (2005-08) at Wisconsin-La Crosse. He also lettered in track and field his freshman year of college before giving up that sport to focus on football. He competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4 x 100-meter relay and 4 x 200-meter relay.
Following his college career, Donoval played football for the Wisconsin Wolfpack of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) in Madison, Wis., from January 2009 to April 2010. He was a starting running back and slot receiver for the Wolfpack. Donoval led the CIFL in rushing and was a league MVP nominee in 2010.
The Sheboygan, Wis., native completed his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science with a concentration in strength and conditioning from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2010. He received his master’s degree in kinesiology and sport pedagogy from LSU in 2012.
Donoval and his wife, Lindsay, have one daughter, Marli.
Coaching History
2020- Wyoming Director of Sports Performance
2018-19 Wyoming Assoc. Director Sports Performance
2013-17 LSU Asst. Strength & Conditioning Coach
2010-12 LSU Graduate Asst. in Strength & Conditioning