FAYETTEVILLE — One day after Jason Veltkamp left the Arkansas football program, the Razorbacks found their replacement for the head strength and conditioning coach.
Arkansas has hired Ben Herbert to the position, it was announced Tuesday. Herbert, a former Wisconsin defensive end, has spent the last 11 years working at his alma mater, including the last four as the head strength and conditioning coach.
The Big Ten Network profiled Herbert and his ability to help players develop into NFL players. In the feature, Herbert discussed his philosophy, which he calls "transformance."
"Transformance: transform your performance," Herbert said. "Wherever your performance is when you walk through the door, we take it, we mold it and ultimately we recreate what you see on Saturday from every one of our guys that steps onto the field.
"When you show a guy where he is day one and ultimately where you are now, it's a powerful thing to see how that body of work paid off."
In his career with the Badgers, he helped develop 41 NFL Draft Picks and six first-round selections, including J.J. Watt and Gabe Carimi.
“Ben Herbert has transformed countless student-athletes and his system has become known by those on the next level for producing individuals with toughness and an incredible work ethic," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. “He has a strong background in what we want out of our strength and conditioning program, and he has shown a great ability to produce results with energy and passion. He is focused on details and consistency and is always thinking outside the box to come up with new, improved ways to make our student-athletes better. He oversees a comprehensive plan that extends beyond the weight room, and our student-athletes will benefit from his instruction.”
Herbert is the fifth member of the Wisconsin football program to join Bielema at Arkansas. Defensive assistant coaches Chris Ash and Charlie Partridge will join the Razorbacks following the Rose Bowl, and Chris Hauser and Mark Taurisani were named to administrative positions at Arkansas on Monday.