PH'15: Meet Your 2019 Arkansas State Red Wolves

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.

Quarterbacks

Pos	Name	Year	Class	OVR	+OVR	Ht, Wt	Rating	Rank	Comp	Att	Yds	TD	INT	Comp%	YPA
QB	Bob Lawson	Grad	2013				:3star:		18	25	281	5	0	72.00%
QB	Greg Childress	Jr	2016	98	+10	6-0, 199	:4star:	#52	282	387	3678	33	23	72.87%	9.50
QB	Bryan Reed	JrRS	2015	90	+5	6-1, 230	:3star:	#340	0	0	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00
QB	Tim Cobb	Fr	2018	80		6-0, 218	:4star:	#162
QB	Matt Bowen	Fr	2018	77		6-3, 218	:4star:	#219
HB	Drew Fernandez	SrRS	2014	96	+6	6-2, 230	:3star:	#514	9	12	110	2	0	75.00%	9.17

Essentially 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.

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Runningbacks

Pos	Name	Year	Class	OVR	+OVR	Ht, Wt	Rating	Rank	Rushes	Yards	TD	YPC	FUM	Long
FB	Danny Harrison	Grad	2013				:3star:
HB	Drew Fernandez	SrRS	2014	96	+6	6-2, 230	:3star:	#514	133	842	11	6.33	0	43
HB	Andrew Hunter	SrRS	2014	89	+6	6-0, 202	:3star:	#501	16	62	1	3.88	1	14
HB	Louis Rawls	SoRS	2016	87	+5	6-1, 196	:4star:	#56	0	0	0		0	0
HB	John McPherson	FrRS	2017	84	+6	6-1, 185	:5star:	#17	RS
HB	Ryan Stover	Fr	2018	78		6-1, 203	:4star:	#105
QB	Greg Childress	Jr	2016	98	+10	6-0, 199	:4star:	#52	183	1426	31	7.79	6	88
FB	Bill Huston	Fr	2018	79		61, 241	:3star:	#723
FB	Micah Russell	Fr	2018	67		5-11, 225	:1star:	#2467
WR	Jake Davis	Sr	2015	93	+7	6-3, 216	:3star:		20	198	2	9.90	2	28

At 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.

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Receivers

Pos	Name	Year	Class	OVR	+OVR	Ht, Wt	Rating	Rank	Catches	Yards	% of Team	TD	YPC	Drops	Long
WR	Michael Porter	Grad	2013				:3star:		1	14	0.35%
WR	Alex Butler	Cut	2017				:4star:	#195			0.00%
WR	Brad Wright	JrRS	2015	93	+2	6-7, 230	:3star:	#940	66	1049	25.95%	10	15.89	7	58
WR	Michael Dykes	SrRS	2014	89	+7	6-0, 188	:3star:	#304	58	743	18.38%	5	12.81	5	42
WR	Jake Davis	Sr	2015	93	+7	6-3, 216	:3star:		73	999	24.72%	8	13.68	8	75
WR	Thurman Goins	JrRS	2015	88	+5	6-1, 225	:4star:	#79	29	405	10.02%	4	13.97	1	35
WR	Joe Hines	JrRS	2015	86	+8	5-11, 186	:3star:	#413	16	173	4.28%	1	10.81	1	25
WR	Eddie Glover	FrRS	2017	82	+5	6-0, 195	:4star:	#87	RS		0.00%
WR	Kevin Simmons	JrRS	2015	77	-5	5-11, 202	:4star:	#166	0	0	0.00%	0	0.00	0	0
WR	Quinton White	Fr	2018	81		6-5, 227	:5star:	#6
WR	James Simmons	Fr	2018	77		6-0, 208	:4star:	#54
WR	Avery Goss	Fr	2018	72		5-10, 200	:4star:	#213
HB	Drew Fernandez	SrRS	2014	96	+6	6-2, 230	:3star:	#514	20	194	4.80%	1	9.70	0	51
HB	Andrew Hunter	SrRS	2014	89	+6	6-0, 202	:3star:	#501	8	44	1.09%	2	5.50	0	12
FB	Bill Huston	Fr	2018	79		61, 241	:3star:	#723
QB	Greg Childress	Jr	2016	98	+10	6-0, 199	:4star:	#52	5	61	1.51%	2	12.20	0	46

At 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.

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Tight Ends

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	:3star:	#1128	6	66	1.63%	2	11.00	1	22
TE	Christian Scott	JrRS	2015	87	+6	6-5, 257	:3star:	#550	1	5	0.12%	0	5.00	0	5
TE	Brad Williams	Jr	2016	91	+6	6-5, 232	:4star:	#76	24	303	7.50%	4	12.63	1	24

At 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.

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Offensive Lineman

Pos	Name	Year	Class	OVR	+OVR	Ht, Wt	Rating	Rank	2017 Starts	PCake	Sacks
LG	Jared McCoy	Grad	2013				:3star:		14	20	2
RT	Brad Sharpe	Grad	2013				:3star:		14	7	5
RG	John Landry	Grad	2013				:3star:		0	2	1
RT	Justin Hoffman	Grad	2013				:3star:		14	13	4
LT	Marcus Fisher	SrRS	2014	87	+5	6-6, 309	:3star:	#1100	0	0	0
LG	Quintin Vincent	JrRS	2015	94	+5	6-3, 294	:3star:	#444	RS
C	Chris Anderson	SrRS	2014	93	+5	6-7, 320	:3star:	#1499	14	4	2
RG	Mike Thompson	SrRS	2014	92	+5	6-5, 278	:3star:	#750	14	10	3
RT	James Moore	JrRS	2015	92	+5	6-4, 296	:4star:	#187	RS
LT	Dan Williams	SoRS	2016	83	+4	6-2, 261	:3star:	#1143	0	0	0
C	Eli Atkinson	FrRS	2017	86	+8	6-5, 294	:4star:	#216	RS
LG	Stan Workman	FrRS	2017	79	+4	6-4, 328	:4star:	#231	RS
LT	Terry Brown	FrRS	2017	73	+2	6-2, 305	:4star:	#218	RS
RG	James Berry	Fr	2018	79		6-7, 294	:4star:	#111
RT	Chase Harmon	Fr	2018	77		6-4, 314	:4star:	#85

Along 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.

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Defensive Lineman

Pos	Name	Year	Class	OVR	+OVR	Ht, Wt	Rating	Rank	Tackles	% of Team	TFL	Sacks	INT	FF	FR
LE	Nick Jones	Grad	2013				:3star:		29	4.96%	18	14	0	0	0
DT	Manny Drew	Grad	2013				:3star:		18	3.08%	9	5	0	0	0
DT	Eddie Nobles	Grad	2014				:2star:	#1649	1	0.17%	0	0	0	0	0
DT	Clint West	Xfer	2017				:3star:	#398	RS
LE	Erik Franklin	SrRS	2014	94	+5	6-4, 257	:3star:		5	0.85%	2	1	0	0	0
DT	Joey Marshall	JrRS	2015	88	+5	6-4, 270	:3star:	#786	7	1.20%	3	1	0	0	0
DT	Sean Foster	SoRS	2016	86	+5	6-6, 297	:4star:	#102	1	0.17%	1	1	0	0	0
RE	Troy Patterson	SrRS	2016	89	+5	6-5, 244	:3star:	#846	26	4.44%	16	10	0	0	0
LE	Jonathon Jones	SoRS	2016	80	+4	6-4, 252	:4star:	#111	RS
RE	Justin Cox	FrRS	2017	83	+4	6-4, 245	:4star:	#52	RS
LE	Kevin Jackson	JrRS	2015	87	+5	6-1, 257	:3star:	#656	6	1.03%	3	3	0	0	0
DT	Dante Norwood	Fr	2018	69		6-2, 258	:3star:	#283
DT	Jordan Miller	Fr	2018	80		6-2, 253	:4star:	#83
RE	Mark Russell	So	2018	77		6-1, 235	:3star:	#709

At 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.

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Linebackers

Pos	Name	Year	Class	OVR	+OVR	Ht, Wt	Rating	Rank	Tackles	% of Team	TFL	Sacks	INT	FF	FR
ROLB	Marcus Johnson	Cut	2017				:4star:	#252
MLB	Jacob Robbins	JrRS	2015	94	+4	6-1, 220	:4star:	#61	RS
ROLB	Justin Holmes	SrRS	2014	93	+5	6-1, 227	:3star:	#326	70	11.97%	13	4	0	2	0
LOLB	Brian Horner	SrRS	2014	88	+5	6-0, 213	:3star:		87	14.87%	24	4	2	0	0
ROLB	Matthew Fitzpatrick	SoRS	2016	86	+4	6-2, 220	:4star:	#208	6	1.03%	0	0	0	0	0
MLB	Ryan Denman	JrRS	2015	88	+5	5-9, 229	:3star:	#311	2	0.34%	1	1	0	0	0
ROLB	Matthew Butler	SrRS	2014	88	+6	6-3, 222	:3star:	#590	5	0.85%	4	1	0	0	0
LOLB	Daniel Wheeler	SrRS	2014	84	+6	6-1, 222	:2star:	#1556	25	4.27%	13	3	0	0	0
MLB	Joey Smith	FrRS	2017	82	+5	6-3, 241	:4star:	#123	RS
LOLB	Derrick Thompson	FrRS	2017	67	+6	6-3, 225	:3star:	#926	RS
MLB	D'Juan Matthews	Fr	2018	76		6-0, 248	:4star:	#29
ROLB	Brad Brown	Fr	2018	75		6-0, 218	:4star:	#277		0.00%

Looking 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.

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Secondary

Pos	Name	Year	Class	OVR	+OVR	Ht, Wt	Rating	Rank	Tackles	% of Team	TFL	Sacks	INT	FF	FR
SS	Bubba Martin	Grad	2014				:2star:		87	14.87%	18	2	0	2	0
FS	Brandon Schroeder	Grad	2015				:1star:	#2262	63	10.77%	10	1	2	0	0
CB	Caleb Roberson	Grad	2015				:2star:	#1685	26	4.44%	1	0	5	0	1
CB	Jacob Gray	Sr	2015	96	+5	6-0, 191	:4star:	#180	42	7.18%	7	0	3	0	0
CB	Terrance White	SrRS	2014	94	+5	6-0, 178	:3star:		33	5.64%	4	2	4	0	0
CB	Ron Vaughn	JrRS	2015	87	+5	6-0, 173	:3star:	#449	18	3.08%	0	0	2	0	0
FS	Nate Gilmore	SoRS	2016	85	+5	5-11, 171	:3star:	#331	21	3.59%	1	0	1	0	0
SS	Samson Cox	SrRS	2015	92	+5	6-0, 197	:3star:	#801	6	1.03%	0	0	0	0	0
CB	Tyler Young	SoRS	2016	85	+5	6-1, 204	:4star:	#131	1	0.17%	0	0	0	0	0
CB	J.J. Holt	JrRS	2017	85	+5	5-11, 220	:3star:	#1032	RS
SS	Demarcus Baker	FrRS	2017	82	+3	6-1, 190	:4star:	#90	RS
FS	Alex Chase	FrRS	2017	81	+4	5-10, 171	:4star:	#152	RS
CB	Roger Thomas	FrRS	2017	79	+5	6-2, 180	:3star:	#436	RS
SS	Brian Pitts	Fr	2018	74		6-2, 217	:3star:	#530
CB	Wendell Whitworth	Fr	2018	75		5-11, 166	:4star:	#97

Defensive 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.

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Kickers

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

:3star:

#593

12

12

100.00%

53

93

129

Punters

Pos

Name

Year

Class

OVR

+OVR

Ht, Wt

Rating

Rank

Punts

Yards

AVG

Net

Inside 20

Long

P

Michael Lott

Grad

2014

:2star:

1602

9

449

49.89

407

2

60

P

Terrence Thomas

Fr

2018

79

6-1, 182

:3star:

#590

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.

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Returners

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	:4star:	#166	42	1436	34.19	1	32	522	16.31
CB	J.J. Holt	JrRS	2017	85	+5	5-11, 220	:3star:	#1032	RS
HB	Andrew Hunter	SrRS	2014	89	+6	6-0, 202	:3star:	#501	0	0	0.00	0	0	0	0.00

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.

Damn, look at that loaded roster.