Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Knile Davis will be among the players representing Arkansas when SEC Media Days begin on Wednesday. He’ll no doubt field questions about his breakout 2010 season.

Reporters will likely want to know the secret to a final half of the season in which he scored 12 of his 13 rushing touchdowns. They’ll want Davis to explain how he became such a weapon for the Razorbacks down the stretch.

That late surge is something Davis and I visited about for our 2011 ArkansasSports360.com football preview. Davis, not surprisingly, was blessed with athletic ability. He works hard in the weight room (he tweeted earlier this week that he maxed at 430 pounds on the bench press) and spends time watching film. 

But Davis admits to something else that helped him last season. [Full story is included here on the site.]

When former Razorback Michael Smith suggested Davis join him in yoga class last year, Davis was hesitant. But most of Smith’s guidance regarding the running back position had proven to be helpful, so Davis agreed to give it a try.

How hard could it be, Davis wondered. Yoga classes aren’t exactly full of high-level college athletes, after all.

“It’s not as easy as it might sound,” Davis said, laughing as he recalled attending class through the fall and spring. “I’d challenge anybody to do yoga. Some of those poses, man, that was tough.”

That’s right. Davis, who averaged 101.7 rushing yards per game, ranking second in the SEC and 16th in the NCAA, took yoga classes to help his flexibility and balance.

For more on Davis in our digital edition check The Knile File.

Also joining Davis is Hoover, Ala. for SEC Media Days will be wide receiver Jarius Wright and defensive end Tenarius Wright. Both players were featured prominently in our position-by-position breakdown of the Razorbacks for our 2011 ArkansasSports360.com football preview.

Here’s the digital magazine link and the regular link to the story on the site if you're so inclined.