Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Arkansas football coaches pride themselves on being intense. They run fast-paced, no-nonsense practices and aren’t afraid to let players know when they don’t meet expectations.

It’s a tough group of coaches to impress. Get them on the field and they're all business.

But when the Razorback staff welcomes a few hundred youth football players — grades 1-4 — to camp later this month, that's different. Kevin Peoples, camp director and director of high school relations for the Razorbacks, said the youth camp — set for June 15 — is one of the highlights of the summer for the staff.

“That brings out the kid in every single member of our staff. It’s fun,” Kevin Peoples said. “Those kids, you’ll be working on football with them and they’ll ask questions out of the blue. … It’s refreshing to work with the young kids.”

Arkansas’ youth event is one of three upcoming camps hosted by Petrino and his staff. Senior high camp (grades 9-12) is scheduled to begin Sunday and runs through Tuesday. A junior high camp (grades 5-8) is scheduled for June 16-18.

While advance registration has ended, campers can sign up on the day each camp begins. Sunday, for example, open registration will run from 2-4 p.m. for the senior high camp. It’s not too late to sign up.

Coaches increase the serious factor with the junior high and senior high camps. Those are designed to be more demanding and the intensity turns up with each age group.

Ultimately, the goal is to develop players. In the case of the senior high camp, the staff is keeping its eyes open for potential prospects and evaluating players they already know about.  Incoming players like linebacker Brock Haman, quarterback Brandon Allen and tight end Demetrius Dean were all in the Razorback Football Camp last year.

Each camp is centered on improving players as individuals and within a team setting. Peoples said Petrino encourages the staff to be as hands-on as they are with their own players.

“Coach takes pride in working the camps. He wants the coaching to go like it is in one of our practices,” Peoples said. “Our expectation and work levels are different with the age groups, but our goal is to teach fundamentals and improve the game in the state of Arkansas, Oklahoma and throughout the surrounding areas.”

Below are dates and additional details on the camps. More information on the Bobby Petrino Razorback Football Camps can be found at RazorbackFootballCamps.com.

Senior High Camp
Dates: June 12-14, 2011
Cost: Day Camper $240
Overnight Camper $290

Youth Camp
Dates: June 15, 2011
Cost: $50 per person

Jr High Camp
Dates: June 16-18, 2011
Cost: Day Camper $240
Overnight Camper $290