What’s in a meal? Some college coaches would say everything. In this fast moving world of college football, the championships and the glory seem to go where the money is and one of the increasing places where money is spent is in training table.
For those of you new to the game, training table is the dining service provided for the athletes at major universities. With football being the sport on campus that contains the largest amount of participants, training table gains most of it’s exposure through it’s assistance with the football team.
Through the years, training tables have evolved into a dining experience that would put P.F. Chang’s or Ruth Chris Steakhouse to shame. Players at the major college football programs are enjoying well cooked meals to delight the palate but it’s more than that. Most teams employ a nutritionist to carefully plan meals for all of the members of a team. It is typical for players on a team to be separated into three categories: gainers, maintainers and weight losers. Player’s meals are constructed for them based on the categories they fit in and they are provided with a number of choices based on those goals.
The meals they enjoy will far surpass what most of them experienced while in high school. It is yet another tool in player development that is being used by schools to gain a competitive advantage over their opponent on the field. It is also a factor not to be overlooked by potential recruits as they make their college choice. The end game for prospects is to choose an institution that will allow them to grow and improve the most four to five years from now. Training table is a part of that equation.
Florida State’s Training Table Program:
Chad Wilson is a college football recruiting expert and creator of the GridironStudsApp which allows high school football players to gain exposure to college football coaches and fans. Wilson is a former college football player for the University of Miami (92-94) and Long Beach St. (’90-’91) and played briefly for the Seattle Seahawks (’95). He is also a former youth and high school football coach for over 15 years most recently for 5-A State of Florida Champs American Heritage. He runs All Eyes DB Camp a defensive back training company located in South Florida IG: @alleyesdbcamp. Wilson’s oldest son Quincy plays in the NFL for the New York Giants and his younger son plays cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals.