By strategically tracking soreness, Matt Gildersleeve and the Kansas Football staff transformed their approach to recovery—and saw a game-changing result: Zero soft tissue injuries in fall camp.

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The Challenge: Managing Soreness & Recovery in a Demanding Camp Schedule

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For years, tracking soreness was a challenge. Before XA Score, Coach Gildersleeve and his staff relied on two things:

• What coaches could observe during warm-ups.
• Conversations with players—when they had time to check in.

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But as Gildersleeve explains, athletes are elite compensators. Many won’t show soreness in their movement patterns, and it’s impossible for a coaching staff to have 100 conversations before every practice.

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The Problem: Fatigue Carryover & Injury Risk

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Kansas structured camp in four-day training cycles, with a rest day between each cycle. But in 2023, they noticed a troubling trend:

• Consecutive high-intensity days were pushing athletes past their ability to recover.
• By the time a new cycle started, soreness was still lingering from the last one.
• As fatigue carried over, soft tissue injuries started to increase.

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The XA Score Solution: A Data-Driven Recovery Model

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In 2024, Kansas adjusted their camp structure—this time, using XA Score’s soreness tracking to guide decisions. Their approach included:

• New training intensities: Instead of a rigid high/low model, they used High, Moderate High, Moderate, Moderate Low, and Low volume days.
• Tracking athlete soreness daily through XA Score.
• Ensuring full recovery before a new cycle began.

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The result?

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Zero soft tissue injuries.

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Seeing the Breakthrough

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"Once we made it through the second cycle and I was able to see that our soreness numbers were returning to baseline prior to the beginning of the next camp cycle, I knew we were on to something." – Matt Gildersleeve, Kansas Football Director of Sports Performance

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This real-time tracking allowed Kansas to keep their high days intense while staying disciplined on low days—ensuring athletes weren’t carrying hidden fatigue into the next cycle.

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XA Score: A Scalable Solution for All Programs

XA Score isn’t exclusive to Power 4 football programs. It’s built for any team committed to athlete readiness and injury prevention—because XA Score isn’t price-focused, it’s athlete-focused. Similar injury prevention and performance benefits have been experienced at the FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and high school levels. It’s a simple and efficient process for athletes, and coaches can access and interpret real-time data without the complexity of expensive tech. No matter the level, XA Score helps teams maximize readiness and minimize injuries.

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The Takeaway for Coaches

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• Recovery doesn’t mean practicing less. It means planning intensity smarter and giving athletes time to return to baseline.
• Fatigue accumulation leads to soft tissue injuries. Left unchecked, it can cause even more severe injuries over time.
• XA Score gave Kansas Football the real-time data needed to make adjustments before injuries happened.

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Why Kansas Football Trusts XA Score

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"XA Score is hands down the best athlete questionnaire out there. It’s simple for athletes to use, delivers real-time data instantly, and—most importantly—gives coaches exactly what they need without the clutter." – Matt Gildersleeve

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For coaches looking to keep their players on the field and out of the training room, XA Score is more than just data—it’s a tool that prevents injuries before they happen.

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Read how XA Score can transform your team’s recovery strategy: XA Score Value

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