To get to the top, you have to start at the bottom.
The bottom of the University of Cincinnati's Lindner Center is far from a dungeon, but you may hear loud noises, the thunderclap of heavy metal and young men pushing past their limits. There's nothing soft about a weight room other than a little cushion on the floor.
There's certainly nothing soft about Niko Palazeti, a former blue-collar fullback from Detroit who cleared holes for Mark Dantonio's Michigan State Spartans and trained Mississippi State Bulldogs, Maryland Terrapins and Ohio State Buckeyes.
Palazeti, UC's new director of football performance, replaced former Bearcat strength coach Brady Collins, who went with Luke Fickell to the University of Wisconsin.