Arkansas offensive line commitment Joseph Stone believes less is more, and by the start of his senior season, he should be at his lowest weight in several years.
“I’ve dropped a little bit,” Stone said. “I’m down to 340 now.”
Stone, 6-8, of Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama, said a change in diet and running has helped him slim down.
“I’ve just been eating healthy and running a lot,” Stone said. “Plus we just got out of spring practice, so I’ve been sweating a lot — getting into shape.”
Before the start of the season, he has a goal of getting down to 315 to 320, a weight he hasn’t been since his freshmen season.
“I think I’ll be able to move better and faster at my position,” Stone said, “if I lose those pounds and get in better shape and put on more muscle.”
Strength is no problem for Stone, who has a 390-pound bench press and a 305 power clean.
Hewitt-Trussville offensive line coach Caleb Perry, who played for the Razorbacks from 1999-2003, said Stone had a great spring by losing about 25 pounds after weighing in at 365.
“Like many big men, he has to restrain his natural instincts of eating everything in sight,” Perry said. “He also has to prioritize conditioning ahead of weight training because strength is never going to be an issue for him. We are on a three-week break as a program right now, and he and I have been communicating daily to keep him on track during this time.
"It’s always impressive to a coach when a player shows the maturity needed to take care of themselves even on their time off.”
Stone, who chose the Hogs over scholarship offers from Purdue, Louisville, Florida Atlantic, Mercer and Middle Tennessee State, made an unofficial visit to Fayetteville in February and officially visited in April when he committed to the Hogs.
He plans to get back to Fayetteville for the June 14 offensive and defensive line skills padded camp.
“I’ll be down there for the weekend for that,” said Stone, who can squat 315 pounds 18 times. “I think they’re going to have a fish fry.”
Highly recruited offensive lineman Trevor Rpberson, 7-0, 390 of Wellington, Texas, officially visited the Hogs the same weekend as Stone. The two talk, and Stone is urging him to be a Razorback.
“I still talk to Trevor a little bit, but he hasn't told me anything for sure,” Stone said.