The Arkansas football team held its second practice of fall camp Saturday morning following summer sessions that led to body transformations for multiple players thanks to first-year strength and conditioning coach Ben Sowders.
Sowders' effect on the roster has been a hot topic, which really started with defensive end Landon Jackson, who has gained 45 pounds since Arkansas finished the 2022 season with a win over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl.
Another player that benefitted from Sowders' program is running back AJ Green. The Tulsa native ran for 227 yards and a touchdown during his freshman year in the Razorbacks' 9-win 2021 season. Green followed that up with 414 rushing yards and three scores in 2022.
Green is a nice compliment to a running back room that features guys with power, such as Raheim "Rocket" Sanders and Dominique Johnson. Green's speed helps keep defenses off balance and forces mistakes, but to take the next jump in his career, he needed to get faster and stronger, something touched on by running backs coach Jimmy Smith Saturday morning.
"I told him this is one of the biggest jumps I've seen in an offseason," Smith said. "AJ is special. He's very fast and athletic, but now he is starting to trust himself and trust his speed. He's evolved into a college running back now.
"Before I had to put him in special situations because I thought, 'He might be able to do that, but he might not be able to do this.' Now he trusts himself. I'm looking for good things from him. I'm really excited about him."
Green directly mentioned Sowders as playing a large role in the strength gained over the offseason.
"I mean, I feel really good," Green said. "We’ve been putting in good work. Coach Sowders has been making us put in a lot of work we’re not really used to. It was like a lot more volume stuff and a lot of reps. I honestly feel good, stronger than I ever have."
The 5-foot-11 running back had more goals than just adding strength and speed to his game, though.
"I would probably say mine was just being able to stop and go better," Green noted. "That’s one of the things I worked on the most, but that was really it."
Someone that motivated Green to become the player he is today was Johnson, who led the team in rushing touchdowns in 2021, but suffered an ACL tear in the Outback Bowl and tore it again in an October practice last season. Even though he's been hurt, Johnson's work ethic rubbed off on the young running backs, including Green.
"He’s always one to work and one to push," Green said. "We always all push each other, but he’s the one that pushed us, because when we first got here, that’s who started. That’s who we were looking after, that’s who we were getting in there to sub in for. He’s always been one of the leaders that we looked up to. His work ethic always shows."
Green's work ethic this offseason has him in position for a potential breakout season in 2023. First, he and the Razorbacks have 23 more practices in fall camp ahead of the season opener on Saturday, Sept. 2 against Western Carolina at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
