This doesn’t seem unusual at all to me. A student who stayed with the program for 4 years writes a letter 2-3 years out of school, signed by a lot of older alums… It’s great if the coach can help with those issues, but some people look for help outside the school’s coach too. Even Tom Brady has a nutritionist. There are hundreds of books and articles about nutrition and running, about building muscle mass.
My daughter didn’t like her coach. The team did have a trainer to tape and treat before and after practices and at games. Many players returned after the summer slow and overweight (hadn’t followed the work out routine) and it really didn’t take a professional to tell them that if they were in better shape they’d have better results and fewer injuries.