Newcomers add depth to Arkansas State football roster

Red Wolves hit the field for first fall pratices of 2021

A-State Media JONESBORO — Position meetings in Arkansas State’s football operations center are more crowded than they were in the spring.

The Red Wolves have more than 50 newcomers among the 120 players in camp.

Most of the newcomers were not on hand for spring drills under first-year head coach Butch Jones, joining the team this summer for voluntary workouts.

“They’ve done everything to date that we’ve asked of them in terms of our culture, the structure of our summer program,” Jones said Wednesday. “I think the players who have been in our program now did a really good job of teaching them and leading them.

Now we take the next step.”

The newest Red Wolves include a dozen transfers who came to ASU from other Division I programs this summer, joining others who arrived for the spring.

Players who spent last season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference, Big Ten and Big 12 have been added to the roster since spring practice.

“I think it does help that a lot of these individuals have been in football programs before, they’ve gone through training camp, they’ve played in meaningful games,” Jones said.

“We have video evidence of them doing it at a high level, so I think that helps, but the big thing for them is playing up to our standard and playing to our expectations. I’d like to think we’re a little bit different in what we demand on the field in terms of effort and finishing, fundamentals and details, especially when the pads go on.

“The other thing we haven’t been a part of with this football team is the constant practice, day in and day out. We’ve not been through this with any player on our team. In spring ball, you had 15 opportunities and we practiced every other day, Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, so now we have the grind mentally and physically of practicing day in and day out. It goes back to the toughness of doing the things you need to do to stay on the field.”

Four of the six quarterbacks on the roster did not go through spring practice.

Sophomore Layne Hatcher is back after splitting time at quarterback last season, when he passed for 2,058 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Hatcher has been named to the Manning Award and Maxwell Award watch lists. True freshman Wyatt Begeal was also on hand in the spring after signing in December and enrolling the following month.

Junior James Blackman, who threw 43 touchdown passes at Florida State from 2017-20, and sophomore Allan Walters, who has spent time at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, have transferred to ASU. Two more true freshmen, Jack Hevesy of Gainesville, Fla., and Carson Taumoepeau of San Diego, Calif., have also joined the squad.

“Going into it, there’s much more competition, which is what we needed in every position group,” Jones said of ASU’s quarterbacks. “These individuals have worked really well together. They respect each other and I think they understand when you have competition, it’s all making them better. They’re improving collectively as a group, but they’re also improving individually and that’s what our program is set up to do.

Transfers who joined the Red Wolves in the spring included wide receivers Te’Vailance Hunt (TCU) and Khyheem Waleed (Boise State), defensive linemen Joe Ozougwu (North Texas) and Thurman Geathers (Louisville), and running back Alan Lamar (Yale).

This summer’s additions also include defensive linemen Kivon Bennett (Tennessee), John Mincey (Tennessee) and Quay Mays (West Virginia); offensive linemen Robert Holmes (Austin Peay) and Nick Lewis (Kentucky); wide receivers Jack Combs (Iowa) and Akeem Hayes (Kentucky); running back Johnnie Lang Jr. (Iowa

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Photo courtesy of ASU A-STATE (cont.)

State); cornerback Denzel Blackwell (Boston College); and linebacker Charles Willekes (Michigan State).

ASU returns 15 starters, including nine on defense, from last year’s team that finished 4-7. The Red Wolves, who went to a bowl game each season from 2011-19, were picked second in the Sun Belt Conference West Division in the preseason coaches poll.

Practice was scheduled to start Friday, the first of 15 in fall camp. The Red Wolves will practice Saturday at 2:30, Sunday at 3:25 and Monday at 2:30 before taking a break from practice on Tuesday. All practices in camp are scheduled for the afternoon or at night.

“We have to be able to practice at the time of day we’re going to play games at. I think when you practice in the morning sometimes, you lose that edge a little bit as a program because you’re always in good weather conditions and all that,” Jones said.

“You don’t have to fight through a lot. Well, this team has to prove to me every day that they’re willing to do what it takes to be successful day in and day out.”

Scrimmages are scheduled for Aug. 14 at noon and Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. Media day is set for Aug. 19.

As much as possible, the Red Wolves are planning to practice on grass.

“Unfortunately our new grass practice fields are not done yet, so we’re going to go there as much as that venue can handle in terms of the volume and the grass,” Jones said. “Our grounds crew has done a remarkable job of getting those fields ready to go. As much as we can stay on the grass, I think it’s really a cumulative effect on the legs moving forward.

That’s the plan right now.”