Colby Cronk's Record-Breaking Power Clean Highlights His Work In The Weight Room
NC State defensive lineman Colby Cronk has spent the last year transforming himself in the Wolfpack's strength and conditioning program, and this week that work resulted in a program record.
During a recent Zoom Call, NC State strength and conditioning coach Dantonio "Thunder" Burnette detailed Cronk's record-breaking 410-pound power clean while explaining why the redshirt freshman's development has been one of the biggest success stories of the offseason.
"Yeah, it was very impressive," Burnette said of the record. "The whole room was going crazy. It's crazy how Colby came in last year as a fairly strong young man coming out of high school in Florida. I think he cleaned 365 last year."
Burnette said Cronk took full advantage of his redshirt season, steadily adding strength throughout the developmental program before reaching another level this offseason.
"He was a young man who redshirted and went through the developmental program," Burnette said. "He ended up cleaning 385 during the developmental program, and then he cleaned 410.
"As you guys can see, the development is there. He's a young man I have a high level of respect for. He's a guy who brings it every single day, works his butt off, and has put up some really good numbers for us."
The record didn't come easily.
Burnette initially planned to stop Cronk after he set a personal record, but his teammates had other ideas.
"It was funny because he hit 390 for a PR, and I told him I thought I was going to shut him down," Burnette said. "Everybody started going crazy. They were saying, 'No, Coach, you've got to let him keep going.'
"We give them a two-miss rule. If you miss once, okay, you miss once. You only get two misses, and he had only one. He missed 390, then turned around and hit it. I told him, 'All right, I think we're going to shut it down.' He was supposed to go to 405.”
"When I turned my back to change the music because he said, 'Coach, I need some different music,' I put some Metallica on,” Thunder added. “The next thing I knew, he had 410 on the bar to break the record, and he got it. Everybody went crazy."
For Burnette, the moment represented much more than a number in the weight room.
"It was pure joy," he said. "It was really good to see all of his teammates so excited for him. The atmosphere was one of those things you wish you could bottle up and hold onto.
"It was a special, special day for that young man."
The question some fans may have is how does this strength translate over to the field for defensive linemen like Cronk. Burnette said the power clean is one of the most valuable lifts for defensive linemen because of how directly it translates to the field.
"It's one of those exercises that really translates to football—being powerful, being explosive, and coming out of your hips.”
Cronk's physical transformation has been just as impressive as his numbers in the weight room.
"I think Colby was around 260 or 265 pounds last year," Burnette said. "Right now, he's been around the 285-288 range. He's a guy who can play inside and outside. He looks like Thor or one of the WWE wrestlers, which is really cool. But he's a guy who brings energy every single day."
Burnette also praised Cronk's character and leadership, saying those traits are just as important as his physical gifts.
"He's one of my favorite guys on the team," Burnette said. "I don't like to have favorites, but I tell the guys all the time, if I need someone in the bunker with me, I trust him with my life.
"He's someone you can count on. He's always going to show up on time, he's very responsible, and he's a really good team player, which I love."
While Cronk arrived NC State as a defensive end, Burnette believes his combination of size and athleticism gives the coaching staff plenty of flexibility in how they use him.
"I think that's up to the coaches," Burnette said when asked about his ultimate position. "With his athleticism, he'll have the ability to play all the way across the board, which is one of the things we look for with our defensive linemen—having guys who can play multiple positions.
"As you guys know, we have a lot of different sub-packages. There's no doubt in my mind he'll work his way into some of those packages and have a role on the team this year.”
"Last year he didn't play,” Thunder added. “He redshirted, but he took full advantage of going through the developmental program."
