The Recruiting Guy

Razorback players embrace Stortzum's training table idea

An Arkansas helmet is shown before an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Samantha Baker)

— Lucas Stortzum joined the Arkansas football program on Feb. 20 to become the assistant director of football operations, and he brought a few ideas with him.

Stortzum was previously at Eastern Illinois for three seasons as the director of football operations. His duties at Arkansas vary from coordinating and selecting training table meals, assisting the recruiting office help freshmen and transfers get settled, and organizing community service appearances for the players.

While at Eastern Illinois, he gave players the opportunity to select what they ate at the training table. He presented the idea to Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, who allowed members of the Hog Leadership Council to pick out their own dinner menu during spring practice.

Some of the players on the council include junior tight end Jack Kraus, senior cornerback Kevin Richardson, senior receiver Jared Cornelius and junior defensive back Reid Miller. Each was given a day on the calendar to choose a meal.

“You’re ultimately letting them pick out [the food] on their day to eat," Stortzum said. "Then if someone doesn’t like it, I just say, ‘Hey, go talk to the guy that picked it out.' For the most part, these guys are really good about not complaining. They understand.”

Stortzum gave the players some leeway, but there were some limitations. The players were able to choose from about 12 caterers.

“It’s about what they want,” he said. “It’s about making sure they eat not healthy, but stuff that’s good for them. Obviously we have to temper back some of the requests they have because they want some fried stuff. Now and then we’ll give it to them. We want to give them good, healthy options.”

The menus ranged from a Cajun-theme dinner at the request of Cornelius to Kraus having a local Italian restaurant serve jalapeño lime chicken, meatballs, grilled chicken strips, creamy pesto, spaghetti with marinara sauce on the side, broccoli and rolls.

Richardson went with a menu that featured corn dogs, chili-cheese beef hot dogs, curly fries, ice cream sandwiches and funnel cakes.

Stortzum will also help with the advance travel team during the season.

“So Thursday, I’ll leave with the staff of 12 to 15 to go early to the game site and make sure the hotel is ready when the team arrives,” Stortzum said.

He was in charge of organizing on-campus summer camps along with the satellite camps. Organizing camps at Eastern Illinois is much different than Arkansas.

“We only had two camps on campus where I was at, but here you’re going to have 500 kids at a time,” Stortzum said.

Long hours are the norm when working with a major college program, but Stortzum wouldn’t have it any other way.

“When you do something you really like to do, work doesn't seem like a job because you’re around athletics,” he said. “You’re here until 9 or 10 at night, but it doesn’t seem like that because you like what you like to do.”