It's behind a paywall, but it details Utah's approach taking athletes and molding them and switching them into new positions. Link
Some choice quotes:
Some choice quotes:
“It’s physiologically, the size of his frame, if he has a big skeleton and broad shoulders — then you can more or less see the potential for growth,” Whittingham said. “You look at his parents. What kind of size do his parents have? What are the size of his feet? How big are his hands? There are telltale signs.”
"By inputting the position, height and weight of a player, Rimer can instantly determine the low, median and high ranges of players who have competed at the combine at a particular position. Whether you’re a 6-foot-4 defensive end or a 6-foot-1 defensive tackle, Rimer can hand over a full sheet of information about the “best” players at that size and position in college football since 2001."
"But as players gain weight, Rimer also has analyzed peer-reviewed scientific research from the last 20 years that detail mostly male participants from 16 to 28 years old to determine the rate at which weight gain should happen given several different factors including body composition."
“It starts to go a little against what you traditionally hear in nutrition,” Moore said. “The number of calories that they need to put on the mass becomes, ‘OK, this isn’t what you normally do, this isn’t what I want you to do for your long-term health once you’re done with football, but for your goal right now, this is going to help you.’ ”
"Elisaia uses Shelby as an example. When Shelby arrived at Utah in 2007, he weighed 200 pounds and could jump a 39-inch vertical. Seventy pounds later, that vertical had only dropped to 36 inches.Could Shelby have put on another 20 pounds of mass? Most likely. But would he also have led the Utes with 10 tackles for loss and five sacks as a senior in 2011? Not likely without maintaining the same level of explosiveness."
Anyway you get the point and I don't want to post the whole article. BTW there has been some good stuff on the Athletic. No sure it is worth the price, but it's been good long form sports journalism. "By inputting the position, height and weight of a player, Rimer can instantly determine the low, median and high ranges of players who have competed at the combine at a particular position. Whether you’re a 6-foot-4 defensive end or a 6-foot-1 defensive tackle, Rimer can hand over a full sheet of information about the “best” players at that size and position in college football since 2001."
"But as players gain weight, Rimer also has analyzed peer-reviewed scientific research from the last 20 years that detail mostly male participants from 16 to 28 years old to determine the rate at which weight gain should happen given several different factors including body composition."
“It starts to go a little against what you traditionally hear in nutrition,” Moore said. “The number of calories that they need to put on the mass becomes, ‘OK, this isn’t what you normally do, this isn’t what I want you to do for your long-term health once you’re done with football, but for your goal right now, this is going to help you.’ ”
"Elisaia uses Shelby as an example. When Shelby arrived at Utah in 2007, he weighed 200 pounds and could jump a 39-inch vertical. Seventy pounds later, that vertical had only dropped to 36 inches.Could Shelby have put on another 20 pounds of mass? Most likely. But would he also have led the Utes with 10 tackles for loss and five sacks as a senior in 2011? Not likely without maintaining the same level of explosiveness."
