PS: Steven Clark is proof the new Syracuse football strength staff is yielding results

[OrangeXtreme]

Syracuse, N.Y. — There is nothing enticing about salad if you're a 300-plus pound football player who mostly improved his strength through protein and powerlifting.

But some sacrifices needed to be made, and Steven Clark was smart and open enough to change his approach toward getting stronger this offseason in an effort to become a better player.

"I thought the bigger you are in college, the better you're going to be," Clark said, "and that's not the case at all."
Every Syracuse football player needed to embrace change after longtime strength coach Will Hicks was replaced by Sean Edinger this offseason, a typical staff change that accompanies many head coaching transitions.

But it's the sophomore defensive tackle's transformation this summer that sheds light on how this team is being conditioned to play under first-year coach Dino Babers...

Steven Clark is proof the new Syracuse football strength staff is yielding results (Mink)

 

[Ringostar57]

No more Pillsbury Dough boys! just big cats that wrap up like anacondas and boas. Always said this game starts with legs. You always build from the foundation up.

 

[sufandu]

There has certainly been a big shift shift in S&C side of things but I think the bigger change may have been with diet. It's baffling to think it hadn't been addressed in the past, especially since I remember Shafer saying at one point he wanted guys as lean as they could be without sacrificing strength.

 

[TheCusian]

There has certainly been a big shift shift in S&C side of things but I think the bigger change may have been with diet. It's baffling to think it's hadn't been addressed in the past, especially since I remember Shafer saying at one point he wanted guys as lean as they could be without sacrificing strength.

I wonder if spring practice wasn't a huge motivation - in that guys were yaking and feeling it, so they knew lots had to change. Full buy-in.

Vs - just saying "eat right, here are some ideas"

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

So the Sean Hickey thing of "I can do more reps, but the coaches don't want me to" would never be a thing under this regime.

 

[CuseCactus]

It all seems so simple and obvious. Agility drills, diet considerations, "smart" strength. It's like our program is emerging from the '50's and leather helmets. I can't get out of my head that picture of the fat linemen in all orange during the GRob era.

The worm is turning gang. Football is going to be fun again.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Football is going to be fun again.

Is that allowed? Please tell me that's allowed.

 

[bcubs9497]

So the Sean Hickey thing of "I can do more reps, but the coaches don't want me to" would never be a thing under this regime.

Not necessarily. Kinda like Trent Richardson, who could squat well over 600, but was never allowed to because it would affect his speed and flexibility.

 

[sufandu]

I wonder if spring practice wasn't a huge motivation - in that guys were yaking and feeling it, so they knew lots had to change. Full buy-in.

Vs - just saying "eat right, here are some ideas"

Yeah, and it sounds like coaches have taken a much more active roll. It almost sounds like what they do to the fat guys and scrawny guys in military basic training. "That's enough for this one, give that one some more."

 

[orlandoorange]

It sounds like the best news since Mike Woicik

 

[Mr Peabody]

This is why the UCF result last year wasn't a fluke. I remember the speed of their O line getting out on the edge even late in the game.

 

[baggerbob]

Not necessarily. Kinda like Trent Richardson, who could squat well over 600, but was never allowed to because it would affect his speed and flexibility.

Sounds like stronger, and faster players on defense will solve a lot of last years problems. There were a lot of missed tackles, which led to big gains, and scores. Better conditioned players, will lead to better performance at the end of games. Games like Pitt where, our defense couldn't get off the field, because no-one could make a big play.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Sounds like stronger, and faster players on defense will solve a lot of last years problems. There were a lot of missed tackles, which led to big gains, and scores. Better conditioned players, will lead to better performance at the end of games. Games like Pitt where, our defense couldn't get off the field, because no-one could make a big play.

Shafer brought in small kids. I think that was more of an issue than strength or speed. He recruited like we were in the MAC and went away from Marrone's size requirements. Our back 7 were and still are small.

BC had a very good D last year. Why can't we get kids like they do? This is what the averaged across the board:

DL 6'3 272
LB 6'2 232
DB 6'2 196

This is what we had last year:

DL 6'2 277
LB 6'0 222
DB 6'0 186

Our DL had better size but our back 7 was 2 inches and 10 lbs smaller on average. I can understand SU not being comparable to FSU or Clemson. But when we are undersized vs a peer, that seems odd.

 

[Eric15]

who could squat well over 600

Pssshhh, I can do that easily (over the course of two reps and change).

 

[tep624]

Shafer brought in small kids. I think that was more of an issue than strength or speed. He recruited like we were in the MAC and went away from Marrone's size requirements. Our back 7 were and still are small.

BC had a very good D last year. Why can't we get kids like they do? This is what the averaged across the board:

DL 6'3 272
LB 6'2 232
DB 6'2 196

This is what we had last year:

DL 6'2 277
LB 6'0 222
DB 6'0 186

Our DL had better size but our back 7 was 2 inches and 10 lbs smaller on average. I can understand SU not being comparable to FSU or Clemson. But when we are undersized vs a peer, that seems odd.

Shafer and his staff put a premium on speed in the back 7 and the problem with valuing speed when you don't recruit at an elite level is that you often have to sacrifice size to get it. So it doesn't really surprise me that we shrunk some.

 

[SWC75]

It all seems so simple and obvious. Agility drills, diet considerations, "smart" strength. It's like our program is emerging from the '50's and leather helmets. I can't get out of my head that picture of the fat linemen in all orange during the GRob era.

The worm is turning gang. Football is going to be fun again.

Actually, the guy in the middle doesn't look too bad.

 

[SWC75]

Syracuse, N.Y. — There is nothing enticing about salad if you're a 300-plus pound football player who mostly improved his strength through protein and powerlifting.

But some sacrifices needed to be made, and Steven Clark was smart and open enough to change his approach toward getting stronger this offseason in an effort to become a better player.

"I thought the bigger you are in college, the better you're going to be," Clark said, "and that's not the case at all."
Every Syracuse football player needed to embrace change after longtime strength coach Will Hicks was replaced by Sean Edinger this offseason, a typical staff change that accompanies many head coaching transitions.

But it's the sophomore defensive tackle's transformation this summer that sheds light on how this team is being conditioned to play under first-year coach Dino Babers...

Steven Clark is proof the new Syracuse football strength staff is yielding results (Mink)

The caption reads: "Syracuse football sophomore defensive tackle Steven Clark, seen here during last year's training camp, has dropped more than 30 pounds since the spring. " Thus the spare tire underneath the jersey.

 

[kirbivore]

Music to my ears. Hicks should have been outright fired the day Jamal Dumas showed up bragging about his gut. Sucks that it's only a demotion and at least a decade too late but I'll take it.

 

[kirbivore]

There has certainly been a big shift shift in S&C side of things but I think the bigger change may have been with diet. It's baffling to think it hadn't been addressed in the past, especially since I remember Shafer saying at one point he wanted guys as lean as they could be without sacrificing strength.

Take a look at Hicks stuffing his face with donuts and you'll understand he didn't know jack squat about nutrition. I just hope the olympic sports aren't suffering under his tutelage.

 

[OburgOrange]

Surprised retro44 hasnt chimed in here?

 

[OburgOrange]

Actually, the guy in the middle doesn't look too bad.

The guy without the number on his shirt?

 

[orangefog]

The guy without the number on his shirt?

Yeah, I think that guy is doing Progressive Insurance commercials with Flo now. "It's not lactose, it's milk".

 

[Millhouse]

I don't claim to know anything about strength. The strength of these guys is mind boggling. but my guess is that we hit a point of diminishing returns sooner than a lot of players and strength coaches might want - hitting PRs and getting huge is fun for them. but i always go back to the bills drafting leif larrson. guy was as strong as anyone at the time but never did anything at aTm or on the bills. it's not that i think getting stronger makes you stiff but maybe too much focus on those last few increases when you're pretty much at your full strength potential takes time away from other things that are more important for football. get strong enough, maintain it, and work on other stuff

 

[donniesyracuse]

This is why the UCF result last year wasn't a fluke. I remember the speed of their O line getting out on the edge even late in the game.

I don't recall a UCF game.

 

[sufandu]

Take a look at Hicks stuffing his face with donuts and you'll understand he didn't know jack squat about nutrition. I just hope the olympic sports aren't suffering under his tutelage.

The S&C coach should have knowledge about nutrition, but other schools have registered dieticians on staff. There's no reason we shouldn't have had the same for a long time.

Honestly, eating clean and losing weight in a healthy way isn't that hard. I just don't think there was accountability in place and college students don't always make the right decisions.