Ben Sowders breaks down how strength and conditioning translates to wins

Ben Sowders is hoping his impact in his first season at Arkansas can be tangible on the field. And as the strength and conditioning coach, he doesn’t just mean that the Razorbacks players will be stronger and faster than others.

That would surely be a feather in his cap, but he’s hoping the work that he’s been brought in to lead in the weight room in the offseason and during the year can be in some part responsible for wins and losses. Sowders explained his thinking recently as Arkansas begins fall camp.

“Well, I think winning’s in the details. When you play in this league — and I know I keep going back, but I’ve been in this league twice — winning’s in the details. It really is. The more you magnify the details and the more you put an emphasis on it now, the better you give yourself a chance later,” Sowders said.

He knows that it could be for naught. He knows any number of threads can be pulled to unravel the whole operation and send a season spiraling, from strength and condition to bad injury luck to scheme not stick and so on.

But Sowders is also well aware that if and when things get competitive and Arkansas is locked in a close game, the dedication and attention to detail in the weight room will start to show up on the field. Having previously worked with Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman at Georgia before moving to Louisville for the 2022 season, Sowders has seen up close what it takes to reach a championship level. He wasn’t going to be promising that out of Arkansas this season, but it’s assuredly a goal for the Razorbacks nonetheless.

“Nothing’s guaranteed, right? Only two things in life are guaranteed, that’s death and taxes. But, you know, if you don’t do those things, then you know you don’t have a chance. We gotta give ourselves a chance. And putting a premium on finishing, doing things right, attention to detail, the discipline, accountability, it’s going to pay off. When? I can’t tell you. But I do know this, the tighter the games and the more important the games are, that’s when that stuff shows up,” Sowders said.

Arkansas has changed up how they’ll do fall camp this season

College football is constantly evolving. Pittman is simply trying to keep up. On Wednesday, the Arkansas head coach discussed the most significant changes in his approach at fall camp this season.

“We’ve certainly changed carriers [with] he emphasis that we’ve had from last year, whether it be third down, whether it be short yardage, whether it be getting off the field or the goal line package,” Pittman said. “Trying to get our team physical and trying to start that early in practice.”

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