Advertisement
football Edit

FREE: Red Wolf Football Spring Preview

Journalists are taught to never bury the lede, so let’s make this one obvious.

FOOTBALL IS BACK!

Well, sort of. Spring practice is finally here, signaling the end of the brutal winter and ushering in all the hype of preseason football. There’s just something magical about it all.

The Arkansas State Red Wolves are set to begin spring practice March 26 at 4:30 p.m. They will hold 11 practices and two scrimmages before the highly-anticipated Spring Game on April 20.

There are a ton of storylines to unpack following a rather underwhelming 8-5 campaign a season ago. Between coaching changes and roster turnover, there will be plenty of new faces both on the sidelines and in the huddle this year. Some big names will be coming back, but the Sun Belt looks to be as tough as ever.

Here are the storylines to watch, and my take on all of them, for the new-look Red Wolves of 2019 going into spring ball.

CLICK HERE TO GET REDWOLFREPORT.COM FREE UNTIL FALL CAMP!

Advertisement

ROSTER CHANGES

For the second year in a row, the Red Wolves will have to replace the Sun Belt Player of the Year. Ronheen Bingham did a great job at filling the enormous shoes left by Javon Roland-Jones in 2017 by winning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year last season. Now, the Red Wolves will have to find a new quarterback as three-year starter Justice Hansen prepares for the upcoming NFL Draft.

Other notable departures include longtime fan-favorite running back Warren Wand, dynamic receivers Justin McInnis and Kendrick Edwards, defensive head-hunters Justin Clifton and Dajon Emory, first-team All-Sun Belt offensive lineman Lanard Bonner, and several other seniors.

The quarterback battle will be the most talked about topic heading into the season, as departing Hansen finished his career as A-State’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns (83) and second in passing yards (10,133). Junior quarterback Logan Bonner will be the likely heir to the throne after serving as the backup a season ago. Bonner made five appearances in 2018, racking up 181 yards and a touchdown on 15-for-32 passing, throwing one pick in the process.

Kirk Merritt led the Sun Belt in receptions and receiving yards last season, earning All-Sun Belt First Team honors and being named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in the process. He will surely be an integral part of the Red Wolf offense in 2019 no matter who starts at quarterback. If wideout Dahu Green is healthy and ready to go, he could emerge as an elite second receiver behind Merritt. Green was injured in the opener last year and missed the whole season as a result. Last spring, he looked like a potential superstar in the Sun Belt, so expectations are high for the former Sooner.

Marcell Murray, 2018 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, proved to be one of the best running backs in the league a year ago as a true freshman. If his progression continues, he could take the league by storm in 2019. After splitting carries with Wand a season ago, the backfield is his to rule this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Red Wolves return All-Sun Belt selections William Bradley-King, Forrest Merrill, Jerry Jacobs and Darreon Jackson to a unit that finished the season trending in the right direction. If the defense can continue to play the way it did in the final stretch of the season, A-State will be a scary matchup for even the best the Sun Belt has to offer. However, if they are unable to overcome the holes left by departing seniors, Sun Belt offenses won’t take it easy on them.

Possibly the most important returner is senior Punter Cody Grace, the greatest First-Team All-Sun Belt snub in modern history. Grace averaged 40.6 yards per punt last season, allowing only one touchback, the only one of his career. Of his 64 punts last season, 25 were downed inside the 20-yard line, and 35 traveled at least 50 yards. The A-State punting unit allowed an NCAA record -15 punt return yards last year. Yes, that says negative 15 yards. Grace finished as a Ray Guy Award semifinalist last year and should contend for the title this season.

COACHING CHANGES

Coaching turnover is to be expected from season to season, especially when a team that was predicted to win the Sun Belt title fails to even win the weaker division of the conference. The level of turnover the Red Wolves experienced, though, is usually only seen when a new head coach brings in a new staff.

Head Coach Blake Anderson will return for his sixth season as leader of the wolf pack in what many see as a make-or-break season. He is bringing in seven new assistant coaches, after several departures in the aftermath of the 2018 season. Some coaches left for better positions, while some were relieved of their duties.

The biggest additions come at both coordinator positions. Keith Heckendorf, former Quarterbacks coach at North Carolina, will take over as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach. Western Michigan’s Linebackers coach David Duggan will assume the same position as well as Defensive Coordinator for the Red Wolves in 2019.

Other additions include Offensive Line Coach Sean Coughlin from Missouri State, Tight Ends Coach Rashad Jackson from Trinity Valley Community College, Running Backs Coach Desmond Lindsey from Memphis, and Interior D-Line Coach Ed Pinkham from UMass.

The most notable addition to Red Wolf fans is easily Defensive Ends Coach Brandon Joiner. Joiner was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year for the Red Wolves during their 2011 Sun Belt Championship campaign.

The coaching changes will bring a ton of new perspectives to Jonesboro. Whether they will work out for better or worse is yet to be determined, but they will at least bring changes. Fans have been desperate for some semblance of change after the last few seasons, and now they have it.

Football season is right around the corner. Buckle up, because it will be a heck of a ride one way or another.

SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Tuesday, March 26 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 27 4:30 p.m.

Friday, March 29 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 30 11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, April 2 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 3 4:30 p.m.

Friday, April 5 4:30 p.m. - SCRIMMAGE

Tuesday, April 9 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 10 4:30 p.m.

Friday, April 12 4:30 p.m. - SCRIMMAGE

Tuesday, April 16 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 17 4:30 p.m.

Friday, April 19 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 20 TBD – SPRING GAME

Tuesday, April 23 4:30 p.m. – Summer Prep

OTHER SPRING FOOTBALL RELATED ARTICLES

ANDERSON DISCUSSES GOALS FOR SPRING FOOTBALL

HECKENDORF OUTLINES PLANS FOR HIS OFFENSE

DUGGAN LAYS OUT HIS PLANS FOR THE A-STATE DEFENSE

CLICK HERE TO GET REDWOLFREPORT.COM FREE UNTIL FALL CAMP!

REDWOLFREPORT.COM BUSINESS PARTNERS  

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Email LDMatheson@Gmail.com for information on becoming a business partner with RedWolfReport.com!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE REDWOLFREPORT.COM MOBILE APP.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @LUKEMATHESON - @REDWOLFREPORT - @CHASEGAGE1

Keep checking back with RedWolfReport.com all of your Red Wolf athletic and recruiting news!

Advertisement