UNLV strength coaches Keith Belton, Jeff Eaton bring the noise even when Tony Sanchez d0esn’t

Tony Sanchez talks fast, walks fast and his energy is off the charts. But the UNLV football coach has got nothing on Rebels strength and conditioning coach Keith Belton and his assistant, Jeff Eaton.

“I’m a pretty high-energy guy, but I don’t know if anybody beats Keith,” Sanchez said Monday after UNLV’s practice at Rebel Park.

Belton and Eaton are usually the most animated coaches during practice, shouting words of encouragement, sprinting alongside players on touchdown runs and exchanging chest bumps with them on the sidelines.

“They get us hyped up every morning,” senior linebacker Ryan McAleenan said. “They really boost the energy of the entire team. We feed off their energy and it’s awesome to have them out there.”

Because of NCAA rules, the strength coaches actually get to spend more time with the players than Sanchez and the rest of the staff does, pushing the team through 6 a.m. offseason workouts.

“So they have to mirror your image and your belief system,” Sanchez said. “When I’m not around, (Belton) has to be my voice. And he is. He does a phenomenal job.

“Everywhere I’ve ever been, I’ve always believed our strength program is the heart and soul of the program. That’s truly where you develop that toughness and that grit and work ethic and team culture.”

A former Syracuse and NFL fullback nicknamed “Thump,” Belton worked under coach Art Briles at Baylor and Steve Sarkisian at Washington and Southern California before he was hired by Sanchez before last season. The two struck up an instant bond.

“I’ve always been around passionate coaches,” said Belton, 34. “My college coach was Paul Pasqualoni and he’s as passionate as they get. He’s crazy. And my high school coach, he’s a nut. Then you get coach Sarkisian, he’s ridiculously crazy. In a good way, I love that guy. And then I had coach Briles, they don’t get no more passionate than that.

“Then I met coach Sanchez and I was like, ‘This dude’s off the meat racks. He’s above crazy.’ But I love that because it keeps me in check, too. We just follow his lead.”

Surprisingly, neither Belton nor Eaton drink coffee.

“I’ve always been this way. I’ve always had a deep passion for the game,” Belton said. “Nobody can work with me if they don’t have energy. If you don’t have energy, don’t even send your resume. I don’t want to talk to you because I don’t care how smart you are. We need energy here. We’ve got to pump this place with energy.”

That’s not a problem for Eaton, a former defensive lineman for Lock Haven University, a Division II school in Pennsylvania, who worked with Belton at Baylor. He’s usually the most emotional person on the field during practice, running around yelling, “Let’s roll!” and “No-fly zone!” to the defense.

“I actually learned from Coach Belton, it’s what you put into everything that you’re going to get out of it,” Eaton said. “I wake up every day with a mindset that I’ve got to attack everything and you’ve got to have energy and you’ve got to be willing to do that every single day because we’re blessed and you don’t want to take it for granted. You never know which day could be your last.

“We just try to keep it as fun as possible because it’s a grind. It’s hard. There are going to be bumps and bruises along the way. But we’re excited about where this program’s going to go.”

Along with helping the team get bigger and stronger, Belton also has helped it improve its eating habits by arranging for the school to have three of its executive chefs in training cook for the players each morning.

“He’s added some things we’ve never had here before and it’s made a big difference. They’re eating better than they ever have and it’s showing,” Sanchez said. “It’s a lot more than X’s and O’s. You can coach your tail off but if you’re not taking care of your kids nutritionally and not doing a great job of strength and conditioning and providing them academic resources, then you’re going to have a stressed-out, beat-down team. And that’s what we’re trying to avoid.”

Belton said center Will Kreitler is the team’s hardest worker.

“And it’s not even close,” he said. “He never makes excuses, he always shows up on time, he’s always going to run, he’s always going to lift and he’s always going to do things right.

“I love watching that kid work. He’s not the biggest kid, but he’s got a lot of thump in him.”

Belton also praised the work ethic of McAleenan, linebacker Matt Lea and wide receivers Kendal Keys and Devonte Boyd. He only wishes more players were that self-motivated.

“You’ve got to create the energy for the kids but at the same time they’ve got to start doing it for themselves because they play the game,” he said. “I can scream and yell and chest bump, but they’ve got to go out there and play the game.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33