Arkansas State Red Wolves 2018 Football Preview

Arkansas State Red Wolves 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: If there is a team in the Sun Belt that is primed for a massive upswing in 2018, it may just be the Red Wolves, who fumbled away several opportunities in 2017, while still managing to win 7 games. If not for the turnovers, the Red Wolves may have won as many as 9 or 10 games last fall. Other major areas of concern were W/L in non con games (1-3), and road/neutral site games (3-4). If the Red Wolves are going to get this thing in gear and make a solid run for a conference title, they have to be able to win out of conference, and losses to inferior teams in conference play (looking at that South Alabama loss) need to stop happening. ASU turned the ball over in range of scoring an infuriating amount of times last season, and if they can control those opportunities instead of throwing them away, this could be a special season.

Breakdown Offense: The Red Wolves scored 37.8 points per game a year ago, while passing for 342 yards per game, and rushing for 152.58 yards per game. With a decent amount of weaponry returning, there is no reason to believe that those numbers should fall this season.
It all starts and ends with the arm of QB Justice Hanson, who passed for 3967 yards and 37 TDs last season. Where he has an opportunity this fall is in reducing the turnovers, as he tossed 16 INTs, a number that is virtually unacceptable if this team is to move to the next level. He also has to increase his accuracy from 62.6% as well. It's not a terrible number, but it's not elite either. He attempted 40.6 passes per game last fall, so he is the center of the offensive flow, and as he rises and falls, so will the team go with him. Hanson can run the ball a bit as well, as he rushed for 7 TDs last season on 423 yards rushing, which makes him dangerous. Logan Bonner will back him up once again, but was not very effective when given time last fall, completing just 9/21 passes.
Warren Wand is back as a senior at RB, but the unit as a while is not very deep. Wand rushed for 715 yards and 6 scores, while averaging a solid 5.18 yards per carry. Primary backup Johnston White is gone, leaving a battle in that spot as we head into fall camp. Jamal Jones and Chauncey Mason, who combined for 70 carries as sophomores, figure to be the leaders in that mix. Depth is a huge issue after that.
The receiving corps lost some punch with the graduations of WR Chris Murray and TE Blake Mack, but there is some talent returning. Justin McInnis, the leader last fall, returns after posting a line of 49-800-4. He averaged 16.33 yards per catch last fall, and was second on the team with 4.1 touches per game. Omar Bayless and Kendrick Edwards, who both had impact last season, are expected to be the other receivers in formation as starters in the offense when the Wolves go to a 3 receiver look. They combined for 70 receptions last fall.
The TE job is wide open as we head into fall camp, so that is an area to stay tuned on to see who replaces Mack there.
The top seven linemen seem fairly set as we head into the summer, which is a huge benefit. Cameron Davis and Lanard Bonner are penciled in at the Tackle spots, while Dalton Ford and Troy Elliot are slated in as the Guards. Jacob Still is your Center as we head into camp as well. Marvis Brown is the primary reserve inside, while Jacob Atnip is the key reserve at Tackle.

Breakdown Defense: Arkansas State lost one of the best players in school history with the graduation of Javon Rolland-Jones, who finished last season with 19 TFLs. Caleb Caston, who finished with 10 TFLs is also gone from the line, creating two huge voids. The Red Wolves allowed 25.8 points per game last fall, and allowed 241 yards passing per game, and 136.08 yards rushing.
The good news is that the front line looks relatively stable heading into the summer, with Ronheen Bingham locking up the DE spot post spring. He was rock solid last fall with 8 TFLs. Hunter Moreton is the starting NT heading into the fall and had a solid campaign as a freshman last season. Christian Howard is the starting DT and finished with 6 TFLs himself last fall. Finding depth at DT and DE will be key, but there is some depth at NT, with Donovan Ransom slated to step up as the key reserve there. William Bradley-King will step up at the hybrid BANDIT position after finishing with just 7 tackles as a freshman.
Tackles leader Kyle Wilson is gone as well, but again, there is some talent coming back at LB, even if that group has untapped potential. Caleb Bonner showed some potential as a freshman last season, and will step up into the starting WLB spot, while Kirk Louis finally works his way into a starting job after playing as a reserve for 2 seasons. Again, finding depth in camp will be key.
The secondary gets SS BJ Edmonds back, who finished second on the team with 80 tackles last season. He led the team with 3 INTs, and had 4 total PBUs on the season. Kyle Martin and Blaise Taylor must be replaced, however. Jeremy Smith steps into one CB spot as a junior to start, but the other CB job is wide open at this point. Michael Johnson, a transfer, steps in as the starting FS, but Jefferie Gibson, another transfer and senior, could give a push there.

Breakdown Special Teams: Sawyer Williams hit 16/22 FGs as a sophomore last fall, and returns to handle the PK duties in 2018. He had some struggles on PATs, as he missed 5 on the season.
Cody Grace, who averaged 41.1 yards per punt last fall, returns in that role as well.
With Murray gone, Jonathon Adams, Jr. will step up and handle the primary kick return duties, after averaging 20.55 yards per return last season. The Punt Return spot is open as we head into the summer, with Blaise Taylor and his 13.75 yard per return average headed out the door.

Final Analysis: Arkansas State has several holes to fill, and a lot of production to be replaced, but still, there is talent on hand returning, especially on both lines, at QB, and at receiver. If the Red Wolves can find answers for depth at RB, TE, LB, and in the secondary, this team could be primed for a big run this fall, especially if the offense cuts down on mistakes, especially in the red zone. Blake Anderson could be coach of the year in the Sun Belt if all of the chips fall into place, and we could see the best version of this team yet, but it all has to come together, and there are plenty of concerns to be dealt with before they take the field.