Coach Smart made an interesting comment during his recent Macon Touchdown Club appearance – “Ultimately conditioning is depth.” One might quibble with the statement, but if one starts from the premise that Smart will have a top-notch strength and conditioning program in place, he is right. At any given height/weight combination there is a maximum state of conditioning. If one does not have adequate quality depth, strength and conditioning must increase player endurance. How does one increase the endurance of an offensive lineman, for example? One way is to reduce body fat – make the athlete smaller.
 
 
In order to accomplish his goal of a bigger team (at maximum conditioning), there will have to be more players providing quality minutes of playing time and getting there takes time.