Wolverines’ Strength and Conditioning Coach is Loved by Woodruff Athletes
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
Woodruff strength and conditioning coach Ryan Thomas is regarded among the best high school strength coaches in South Carolina.
Last week, he was recognized as the South Carolina 3A strength and conditioning coach of the year.
During his five-year tenure at Woodruff, Coach Thomas overhauled and vastly improved the Wolverines’ strength program, using innovative methods and fostering intensity and a family atmosphere that has helped transform many Woodruff athletes into stronger and faster players.
His athletes love him dearly and testify to the impact Coach Thomas has had on them.
Said Woodruff football player Paul Davis of ‘Coach T,’ as he is affectionately known:
“Coach T has helped me get into the mindset that whatever is going on at home or outside the moment I am in does not matter or dictate my emotion. Nobody will ever catch me having a bad day in the weight room because I have a standard set for myself and it doesn’t matter what’s going on outside of the moment I am in. I will not show anything else but the standard.”
Under Coach Thomas’ leadership, multiple Woodruff athletes have won state championships in lifting competitions, as well as the team power lifting state championship.
His most decorated athlete is recent Woodruff graduate Ruthie Sheffield, who was a two-sport star in volleyball and softball as well as winning numerous accolades in power lifting.
All told, Ruthie won the state power clean championship in the 170-pound weight class for four consecutive years from 2023 to 2026. She was named Miss Clean in both 2025 and 2026, which is the award given to the best lifter regardless of classification, among multiple other accolades.
Sheffield credits Coach Thomas for instilling a love of strength and lifting and for helping cultivate her success.
“Coach Thomas made me love something that I thought I would hate and transformed me to be great at it,” she explained. “Coach T gave me a place where I was able to go and drown out the rest of the world. He showed up for us every single day and never changed his standards. We lived by three things: love, serve, and care. Doing all these things for each other made us stronger in the weight room while also carrying over to our sports, causing us to come together even closer.”
She added, “Of course, lifting weights made us all better athletes by making us stronger and more powerful, but Coach T also made it a point to increase our speed and reaction time to help us grow inch by inch to get better overall. He also added in yoga and stretching weekly. This allowed us to be less injury-prone and more agile athletes. Coach T is a great coach and an even better person, pushing us to be better and better every day. I will forever be thankful for the time and dedication he has put into every single one of us.”
For Coach Thomas, his passion for his job and love of his athletes run deep. He feels honored to be chosen as 3A strength and conditioning coach of the year, but credits Woodruff’s young men and women for making what he does even more fulfilling.
“Being named 3A Strength Coach of the Year by your peers is a huge honor,” Thomas said. “I would be lying if I said, “Ah, thanks – no biggie.” I do believe in my heart it says more about our student-athletes than anything else. They have learned to become process-based as opposed to outcome-based. I’ll be judged by the outcome, but our student-athletes will be successful here and in life because they understand consistency. I’m truly blessed to work in a school district and community that supports my passion. That support is the foundation of our program. Go Wolverines!”
