Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

FAYETTEVILLE — Spend some time in the football weight room at the University of Arkansas and you’ll find all the tools normally associated with a strength-and-conditioning program. Thousands of dollars have been invested in weight equipment and the installation of a modern video and sound system to keep players motivated as they train.

Surprisingly, the item that cost the least might be among the most valuable to the Razorbacks’ players. Kurt Schmidt’s recipe collection is arguably as important as anything else you’ll find in the state-of-the-art facility.

Schmidt is the strength-and-conditioning coach in charge of nutrition education at Arkansas. Essentially, he’s the mechanic responsible for making sure the Bobby Petrino football machine stays properly fueled.

So, just in case a player is cooking for himself and has a question — and there are always questions — Schmidt keeps a file of recipes handy. It’s a simple component to a complex and crucial part of training players for college football and beyond. He has collected around 100 simple-ingredient recipes over the last six or seven years during stops at Louisville, Utah State and Arkansas.

“I get random phone calls all the time — what to buy, how to make a meal,” Schmidt said. “That tells me they are interested, they care. There are a lot of components to what we do with strength and conditioning and nutrition. If they do them all to the best of their ability, they can be among the best in the country.”

Nutrition is a key component at most college football programs. Arkansas isn’t alone in its attempts to keep players well fed, but the Razorback staff has made educating players a focal point.

Instead of simply telling players to eat well, Schmidt and others show the Razorbacks what that means.

Some programs only punish players for failing to meet weight goals. There are consequences for Razorbacks that don’t make a target weight, but the focus is on the front end, where players are taught how to shop and prepare food for themselves when not under the watchful eye of coaches.

“We educate them,” strength-and-conditioning coordinator Jason Veltkamp said. “That’s where a lot of people miss the mark. They’ll punish a kid for not hitting a goal weight, but they won’t go do anything extra to educate them. That’s where Coach Schmidt has been huge for us.”

NCAA rules allow for one training table meal a day to be provided to football players during the school year. It’s Schmidt’s job to make sure the players know how to eat when he is not around.

What does that entail?

Schmidt actually accompanies players to the grocery store when they first arrive on campus. He’ll explain which foods are healthy options and how to eat nutritious meals on a budget. Instead of spending $7 for a turkey sandwich at a local restaurant, Schmidt and the training staff will explain the same sandwich can be made in a player’s apartment or dorm room for approximately $1.50.