Brady Hoke’s new 4-3 defense made a number of Oregon defenders feel like freshmen; everything was new and foreign again. There was a lot to learn too, considering several defenders this spring gave different analogies to illustrate how fat their new playbook is — most notably from defensive lineman Jalen Jelks, who compared it to a Harry Potter book, according to ESPN.  

But it wasn’t just the playbook that took on added bulk this offseason: Four individuals switched from outside linebacker to defensive lineman, and because of it, were asked to pack on weight.

Easiest way to do it? Well, as Oregon’s Justin Hollins simply put it: “Eat more.”

And linebackers-turned-defensive-linemen Eddie Heard, Torrodney Prevot, Cody Carriger and Hollins certainly have had the resources in place to do just that. After the NCAA passed legislation that allowed for unlimited meals and snacks in 2014, the University of Oregon athletic department committed an additional $750,000 to its nutrition program. The program now includes two nutritionists, four full-time cooks, a few sports dieticians as well as several food services that are consistently operating throughout the day. 

The services, which serve about 500 student-athletes at Oregon, include either breakfast or brunch options from 7 a.m. to noon at the Hatfield Dowlin-Complex or snack options from noon to 4 p.m. at their various fueling stations — in places such as the football locker room, at Matthew Knight Arena and at Hayward Field.

Oregon’s not alone in this regard either. Director of sports nutrition Pratik Patel says the field has “exploded” in the past few years due to the deregulation of meal services.

“Now we can do so much more for our athletes,” Patel said in his Casanova Center office, filled with memorabilia and boxes of Nutri-Grain bars and trail mix.

University of Oregon director of sports nutrition Pratik Patel ensures that the 500 student athletes at the university are eating healthy enough to thrive at optimal performance. (Ryan Kang/Emerald)

The athletes seem to be taking advantage of this too. Prevot gained 23 pounds this offseason and said he’s weighing in close to 245 pounds, despite being listed at 225. Hollins said he’s gained about 8 pounds and Carriger, thanks to “a lot of peanut butter,” has gained upwards of 12 pounds.

But the process for how they’re gaining weight isn’t like the old days, in which a heavy intake of milk, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and steaks was the common plan. As Patel notes, “A lot of what we want to do to is make sure they stay healthy.” In addition, a lot of it is based on each individual’s nutrition plan, and just as the defense had to adjust to Hoke’s new scheme, the converted defensive linemen had to adapt to a new diet.

Carriger knew this type of change might occur after Hoke was hired. Sure enough, Carriger was participating in winter conditioning one day when Oregon defensive line coach Ron Aiken approached him and said, “Hey Cody, you’re with me.”

It didn’t take long for Patel to approach him either.

“I think it was day of, [Patel] said, ‘Hey you’ve got to come see me, we’ve got to figure out a meal plan, get you all the stuff you need,’ ” Carriger recalled.

It set in motion what Carriger describes as an “eat, eat, eat” plan.

Carriger says his typical day consists of a breakfast at the facility — options include made-to-order omelets and eggs (with an omelet of the day), fresh baked pastries and breads, made to order waffles, a potato option of the day, pancakes and French toast, a breakfast entrée special, a non-breakfast entrée special, deli meat bar featuring meat cooked and sliced in house, fresh fruit and fruit smoothies and full salad bar — a lunch with a protein shake, a snack and a shake, dinner with a shake and a banana with peanut butter and a shake before he goes to bed.

Prevot’s plan this winter has looked similar. The senior said he’s kept to a regimen in which he eats about four meals with snacks in-between.

“Even if I don’t feel like eating, I know I have to have something consistently on me,” Prevot said.

The weight-gain plan hasn’t been as drastic for others. Hollins said it feels simple, that only his intake of protein shakes has increased. Regardless, the three are all hovering around 245 pounds now, and expect to inch closer to 250 by the time fall camp starts.

And while Carriger’s plan may sound like Patel merely asked him to eat as much as possible, the system in place is much more complex and defined. It consists of understanding the individual’s muscle mass and body fat percentage, which then helps Patel gauge how much weight a player can put on without gaining “sloppy weight.” It also includes weekly data Patel receives to ensure the player is heading in a healthy direction.

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