The overarching theme for this year's Red Wolves team is that essentially all important starters return, particularly on the offensive side of the football. This year, all of the hard work that the coaches have instilled culminates in the best team assembled in Jonesboro. From Childress returning with a Heisman trophy in his dorm room to MLB Robbins returning to campus after a sabbatical, nothing but undefeated will satisfy the team's goals for this season.
QuarterbacksEssentially all you need to know about the QB position for Arkansas State is that they return a Heisman-winning player who had a total of 66 touchdowns last season. Childress was electric all season and aside from being interception prone, there's not a whole lot he can do this season to improve his standing. Behind Childress, you have a very capable backup in Reed and two Freshman QBs that ensure that there will be little to no drop-off once Childress moves onto the NFL.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank Comp Att Yds TD INT Comp% YPA QB Bob Lawson Grad 2013 18 25 281 5 0 72.00% QB Greg Childress Jr 2016 98 +10 6-0, 199 #52 282 387 3678 33 23 72.87% 9.50 QB Bryan Reed JrRS 2015 90 +5 6-1, 230 #340 0 0 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00 QB Tim Cobb Fr 2018 80 6-0, 218 #162 QB Matt Bowen Fr 2018 77 6-3, 218 #219 HB Drew Fernandez SrRS 2014 96 +6 6-2, 230 #514 9 12 110 2 0 75.00% 9.17
RunningbacksAt HB, Fernandez is the thunder to Childress' lightning. The two combined for 42 rushing touchdowns last season and only look to improve that figure this season. Should Fernandez go down, there are certainly very capable replacements in Rawls and McPherson if needed. Hunter serves as a complimentary runner to the bulldozer running-style of the rest of the group.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank Rushes Yards TD YPC FUM Long FB Danny Harrison Grad 2013 HB Drew Fernandez SrRS 2014 96 +6 6-2, 230 #514 133 842 11 6.33 0 43 HB Andrew Hunter SrRS 2014 89 +6 6-0, 202 #501 16 62 1 3.88 1 14 HB Louis Rawls SoRS 2016 87 +5 6-1, 196 #56 0 0 0 0 0 HB John McPherson FrRS 2017 84 +6 6-1, 185 #17 RS HB Ryan Stover Fr 2018 78 6-1, 203 #105 QB Greg Childress Jr 2016 98 +10 6-0, 199 #52 183 1426 31 7.79 6 88 FB Bill Huston Fr 2018 79 61, 241 #723 FB Micah Russell Fr 2018 67 5-11, 225 #2467 WR Jake Davis Sr 2015 93 +7 6-3, 216 20 198 2 9.90 2 28
ReceiversAt WR, the trio of Wright, Davis, and Dykes kept the defenses honest by being reliable targets, each serving their own unique purpose. Over the next two seasons, the WR corps will receive a complete face-lift but replacements of Glover, Goss, & White should be excellent in their own right. One new face to the group to keep an eye on will be former HB Kevin Simmons. Simmons shifts over to better utilize his superior speed.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank Catches Yards % of Team TD YPC Drops Long WR Michael Porter Grad 2013 1 14 0.35% WR Alex Butler Cut 2017 #195 0.00% WR Brad Wright JrRS 2015 93 +2 6-7, 230 #940 66 1049 25.95% 10 15.89 7 58 WR Michael Dykes SrRS 2014 89 +7 6-0, 188 #304 58 743 18.38% 5 12.81 5 42 WR Jake Davis Sr 2015 93 +7 6-3, 216 73 999 24.72% 8 13.68 8 75 WR Thurman Goins JrRS 2015 88 +5 6-1, 225 #79 29 405 10.02% 4 13.97 1 35 WR Joe Hines JrRS 2015 86 +8 5-11, 186 #413 16 173 4.28% 1 10.81 1 25 WR Eddie Glover FrRS 2017 82 +5 6-0, 195 #87 RS 0.00% WR Kevin Simmons JrRS 2015 77 -5 5-11, 202 #166 0 0 0.00% 0 0.00 0 0 WR Quinton White Fr 2018 81 6-5, 227 #6 WR James Simmons Fr 2018 77 6-0, 208 #54 WR Avery Goss Fr 2018 72 5-10, 200 #213 HB Drew Fernandez SrRS 2014 96 +6 6-2, 230 #514 20 194 4.80% 1 9.70 0 51 HB Andrew Hunter SrRS 2014 89 +6 6-0, 202 #501 8 44 1.09% 2 5.50 0 12 FB Bill Huston Fr 2018 79 61, 241 #723 QB Greg Childress Jr 2016 98 +10 6-0, 199 #52 5 61 1.51% 2 12.20 0 46
Tight EndsAt TE, Jeff Rutledge takes over the starting role this season after Williams has elected to take a redshirt year to be able to work towards his Masters degree. Rutledge is every bit as good as Williams so there will be no loss of production there.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank Catches Yards % of Team TD YPC Drops Long TE Jeff Rutledge SrRS 2014 90 +5 6-5, 252 #1128 6 66 1.63% 2 11.00 1 22 TE Christian Scott JrRS 2015 87 +6 6-5, 257 #550 1 5 0.12% 0 5.00 0 5 TE Brad Williams Jr 2016 91 +6 6-5, 232 #76 24 303 7.50% 4 12.63 1 24
Offensive LinemanAlong the OL, the Red Wolves post perhaps their best core group in the trenches with really no weaknesses to be found. The highlights of the group have to be the return of LG Vincent and RT Moore who sat out last season due to academic qualifications.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank 2017 Starts PCake Sacks LG Jared McCoy Grad 2013 14 20 2 RT Brad Sharpe Grad 2013 14 7 5 RG John Landry Grad 2013 0 2 1 RT Justin Hoffman Grad 2013 14 13 4 LT Marcus Fisher SrRS 2014 87 +5 6-6, 309 #1100 0 0 0 LG Quintin Vincent JrRS 2015 94 +5 6-3, 294 #444 RS C Chris Anderson SrRS 2014 93 +5 6-7, 320 #1499 14 4 2 RG Mike Thompson SrRS 2014 92 +5 6-5, 278 #750 14 10 3 RT James Moore JrRS 2015 92 +5 6-4, 296 #187 RS LT Dan Williams SoRS 2016 83 +4 6-2, 261 #1143 0 0 0 C Eli Atkinson FrRS 2017 86 +8 6-5, 294 #216 RS LG Stan Workman FrRS 2017 79 +4 6-4, 328 #231 RS LT Terry Brown FrRS 2017 73 +2 6-2, 305 #218 RS RG James Berry Fr 2018 79 6-7, 294 #111 RT Chase Harmon Fr 2018 77 6-4, 314 #85
Defensive LinemanAt Defensive End, the Red Wolves lose their all-time leading sack recorder in LE Nick Jones. Replacing him though will be Erik Franklin who has seen sporadic playing time throughout his career. He's ready now to lead the charge alongside Patterson who recorded 10 sacks a season ago. Coming off the bench first at DE will be speed-rusher Jonathon Jones who looks to be a monster in the near future. At DT, replacing Drew will be difficult but Marshall and Foster appear to be up to the challenge. However, the transfer or West will hurt to some degree as that will force at least one true freshman into a backup role. Look for Norwood to fill that role in order to save Miller for the future.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank Tackles % of Team TFL Sacks INT FF FR LE Nick Jones Grad 2013 29 4.96% 18 14 0 0 0 DT Manny Drew Grad 2013 18 3.08% 9 5 0 0 0 DT Eddie Nobles Grad 2014 #1649 1 0.17% 0 0 0 0 0 DT Clint West Xfer 2017 #398 RS LE Erik Franklin SrRS 2014 94 +5 6-4, 257 5 0.85% 2 1 0 0 0 DT Joey Marshall JrRS 2015 88 +5 6-4, 270 #786 7 1.20% 3 1 0 0 0 DT Sean Foster SoRS 2016 86 +5 6-6, 297 #102 1 0.17% 1 1 0 0 0 RE Troy Patterson SrRS 2016 89 +5 6-5, 244 #846 26 4.44% 16 10 0 0 0 LE Jonathon Jones SoRS 2016 80 +4 6-4, 252 #111 RS RE Justin Cox FrRS 2017 83 +4 6-4, 245 #52 RS LE Kevin Jackson JrRS 2015 87 +5 6-1, 257 #656 6 1.03% 3 3 0 0 0 DT Dante Norwood Fr 2018 69 6-2, 258 #283 DT Jordan Miller Fr 2018 80 6-2, 253 #83 RE Mark Russell So 2018 77 6-1, 235 #709
LinebackersLooking at the Linebackers, Arkansas State yet again has some very serious talent starting for them. Robbins returns after taking a sabbatical last season and beside him returns Holmes. The two started two seasons together previously and certainly have a great chemistry. Shifting out of the spotlight in favor of Robbins is Horner who shifts over to LOLB. Horner had an excellent season in 2018 leading the team in tackles and tackles for loss. While he may not be starting, he'll certainly see lots of playing time along with several others as the Red Wolves like to use an occasional 1-5-5 defense to create havoc.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank Tackles % of Team TFL Sacks INT FF FR ROLB Marcus Johnson Cut 2017 #252 MLB Jacob Robbins JrRS 2015 94 +4 6-1, 220 #61 RS ROLB Justin Holmes SrRS 2014 93 +5 6-1, 227 #326 70 11.97% 13 4 0 2 0 LOLB Brian Horner SrRS 2014 88 +5 6-0, 213 87 14.87% 24 4 2 0 0 ROLB Matthew Fitzpatrick SoRS 2016 86 +4 6-2, 220 #208 6 1.03% 0 0 0 0 0 MLB Ryan Denman JrRS 2015 88 +5 5-9, 229 #311 2 0.34% 1 1 0 0 0 ROLB Matthew Butler SrRS 2014 88 +6 6-3, 222 #590 5 0.85% 4 1 0 0 0 LOLB Daniel Wheeler SrRS 2014 84 +6 6-1, 222 #1556 25 4.27% 13 3 0 0 0 MLB Joey Smith FrRS 2017 82 +5 6-3, 241 #123 RS LOLB Derrick Thompson FrRS 2017 67 +6 6-3, 225 #926 RS MLB D'Juan Matthews Fr 2018 76 6-0, 248 #29 ROLB Brad Brown Fr 2018 75 6-0, 218 #277 0.00%
SecondaryDefensive Back is the group of players that lost the most from last season. Losing three starters, including Martin who lead the team in tackles, will certainly hurt. However, their best shutdown corner returns in CB Gray. Opposite him will be White who has to help replace Roberson's team-leading INTs. The newest face to the starting CBs will be nickel Vaughn who showed flashes of brilliance last season. At the safety spots, both starters from a season ago graduated. Gilmore at FS is perhaps the biggest weakness for the Red Wolves. He saw a fair bit of playing time but will need to take on a larger role this season. Cox largely only played on special teams but his explosive speed will be well utilized at SS and may improve upon Martin's results.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank Tackles % of Team TFL Sacks INT FF FR SS Bubba Martin Grad 2014 87 14.87% 18 2 0 2 0 FS Brandon Schroeder Grad 2015 #2262 63 10.77% 10 1 2 0 0 CB Caleb Roberson Grad 2015 #1685 26 4.44% 1 0 5 0 1 CB Jacob Gray Sr 2015 96 +5 6-0, 191 #180 42 7.18% 7 0 3 0 0 CB Terrance White SrRS 2014 94 +5 6-0, 178 33 5.64% 4 2 4 0 0 CB Ron Vaughn JrRS 2015 87 +5 6-0, 173 #449 18 3.08% 0 0 2 0 0 FS Nate Gilmore SoRS 2016 85 +5 5-11, 171 #331 21 3.59% 1 0 1 0 0 SS Samson Cox SrRS 2015 92 +5 6-0, 197 #801 6 1.03% 0 0 0 0 0 CB Tyler Young SoRS 2016 85 +5 6-1, 204 #131 1 0.17% 0 0 0 0 0 CB J.J. Holt JrRS 2017 85 +5 5-11, 220 #1032 RS SS Demarcus Baker FrRS 2017 82 +3 6-1, 190 #90 RS FS Alex Chase FrRS 2017 81 +4 5-10, 171 #152 RS CB Roger Thomas FrRS 2017 79 +5 6-2, 180 #436 RS SS Brian Pitts Fr 2018 74 6-2, 217 #530 CB Wendell Whitworth Fr 2018 75 5-11, 166 #97
KickersPunters
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank FGM FGA FG% LONG XPM PTS K Andy Foster Jr 2016 93 +4 5-10, 178 #593 12 12 100.00% 53 93 129 Returning at Kicker will be Andy Foster who was perfect on his kicks a season ago; coaches only expect better this season. At Punter, Lott graduates and takes with him his two Ray Guy awards but true Freshman Thomas looks more than capable as a replacement.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt Rating Rank Punts Yards AVG Net Inside 20 Long P Michael Lott Grad 2014 1602 9 449 49.89 407 2 60 P Terrence Thomas Fr 2018 79 6-1, 182 #590
ReturnersReturning at Kicker will be Andy Foster who was perfect on his kicks a season ago; coaches only expect better this season. At Punter, Lott graduates and takes with him his two Ray Guy awards but true Freshman Thomas looks more than capable as a replacement.
Pos Name Year Class OVR +OVR Ht, Wt KR YDS AVG TD PR YDS AVG WR Kevin Simmons JrRS 2015 77 -5 5-11, 202 #166 42 1436 34.19 1 32 522 16.31 CB J.J. Holt JrRS 2017 85 +5 5-11, 220 #1032 RS HB Andrew Hunter SrRS 2014 89 +6 6-0, 202 #501 0 0 0.00 0 0 0 0.00
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