Grant Thorne is in his first season as the Steelers' director of performance integration and sports science in 2026 and 15th in the NFL.
     Prior to Pittsburgh, Thorne spent two seasons as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Titans. He was hired by Tennessee in 2024 after spending 11 years with the Green Bay Packers.
     From 2015 through 2023, Thorne was a strength and conditioning assistant with the Packers. He designed, organized and administered programs for the players and advised on training methods using the latest in sports technology and key performance indicators he observed during practice and competition. He spent 2013-14 as a strength and conditioning consultant with the Packers.
     Prior to working in Green Bay, Thorne served as a sports performance coach at Purdue University (2011-14). While with the Boilermakers, he programmed several aspects of the strength, speed and agility training regimens for the football, track and field, and men's golf teams. He also served as an instructor for clinical students while working toward his master's degree in health and kinesiology sport performance, focusing on sports-science technology and methodology.
     In 2011, Thorne gained his initial collegiate coaching experience at Stanford University, where he served as an assistant performance coach for the Cardinal football and rugby teams. During his time at the school, Thorne assisted with the daily operations of the offseason football training program, and a speed-training regimen for NFL hopefuls that helped several future NFL products, including quarterback Andrew Luck and wide receiver Doug Baldwin.
     Thorne served as a performance and monitoring assistant for the N.Y. Jets in 2010. He set up and monitored performance-tracking devices and created reports that advised Jets coaches and strength staff on how to best optimize training methods for their athletes.
     A college running back, wide receiver and kick returner, Thorne played two seasons at Long Beach City College (2004-05) before finishing at Nicholls State University (2006-07), where he earned a B.S. in science. While at Nicholls State, he got his first coaching experience with the San Diego Chargers as a strength and conditioning summer intern in 2006.
     Following his collegiate career, Thorne played wide receiver in the Arena Football League for the Los Angeles Avengers in 2008 before joining the Rugby Union's Sedgley Park Tigers as a winger later that year. In 2009, he participated in the USA Eagles National Rugby Team selection camp at the Olympic training center in Chula Vista, Calif.
     While playing for Sedgley Park in the United Kingdom, Thorne served as an assistant performance coach for Everton Football Club of the English Premier League. In 2009, he returned to the United States to serve as a performance coach at Velocity Sports Performance in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
     Thorne's passion for athletic science led him to co-found TRIUN Human Performance in 2006 with his brother, Kyle, a strength and conditioning who trains U.S. military personnel in Japan. The California-based organization helps educate, train and mentor individuals and organizations in the disciplines and benefits of human performance and healthy nutrition in order to develop good lifelong habits and build strong character. Grant and Kyle designed and hold the patent to the Accu-Roller, distributed by SKLZ.
     Thorne is certified as a sport-performance and corrective-exercise specialist by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He is currently in the doctorate of technology program at Purdue University researching artificial intelligence and machine learning in sport.
     Thorne was born in Tucson, Ariz. He and his wife, Courtney, have a daughter, Isla, and a son, Bodhi. Courtney is a strength and conditioning coach with the Northern Iowa Area Community College softball team.
