CJ McFarland is in his first season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Illinois in 2026. McFarland joined the Illini from Bowling Green, where he spent the 2025 season as the program’s associate head strength and conditioning coach.

Prior to Bowling Green, McFarland spent two years at Temple as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the football program from 2023-24 and two years with the LSU football program from 2021-22.

McFarland spent six years at Onnit Gym in Austin, Texas, where he served as the head strength and conditioning coach, before entering college football. While at Onnit he trained athletes of all levels, including NFL athletes Earl Thomas, Davon House, Jordan Hicks, Alex Okafor, Caden Sterns, Jermaine Eluemunor, Durham Smythe, Cole Beasley, and Baker Mayfield.

In his first off-season training Mayfield, he helped him drop eight percent body fat, add four pounds of muscle, and significantly increase strength and power metrics overall. The transformation allowed Mayfield to have one of his most dominant professional seasons, leading the Browns to their first playoff victory in almost two decades.

McFarland completed an internship with Texas State's football program from 2017-18. He also spent time coaching in the NFL during training camp and pre-season internships with the Cincinnati Bengals (2018) and Carolina Panthers (2019).

McFarland is certified through the National Strength & Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach. He also holds the FRC master specialist and Body Tempering certifications.

McFarland was raised by former Marine Corps Drill Instructors Mac and Jane McFarland in South Texas. He lives with his wife, Megan, and two dogs, Tuxedo and Stormy.