Previewing the Quarterbacks

The Starter

Quarterback may be the easiest position to look at for the upcoming season. The Red Wolves return two time 1st team All-Sun Belt Conference performer Ryan Aplin (6’1 210 RSR) at the QB position. Aplin makes the transition to a new coaching staff much easier for both the players and the coaches. A fantastic leader, the 2011 SBC Offensive Player of the Year is a lock to run Malzahn’s offense in 2012. And for Aplin, learning what a new offensive coordinator wants should be simple as he is breaking in his 4th during his tenure. Aplin is an excellent leader and a savvy quarterback that has a good grasp on what this offense needs and he can keep the team on task throughout summer workouts, helping to prepare the Red Wolves for his senior campaign. Aplin is on the verge of breaking a number of career ASU records after having smashed a number of season records over the past 2 seasons. Ryan should become the all time leading passer at ASU in 2012. He stands at 7,309 yards passing as well as 43 passing TDs, both of which put him second to Cleo Lemon’s 8,887 yards and 48 TDs. The stat that is impressive to me is that Aplin currently stands fifth all time in A-State rushing TDs with 25. He can move into second behind Richie Woit’s 57 TDs if he rushes for 9 TDs in 2012. Aplin finished 2011 with 10 rushing TDs and 2010 with 11. That would put him just ahead of the top rushing quarterback in ASU history, Dwane Brown, who is tied with Reggie Arnold with 33 career rushing TDs. Now it is important to know that Aplin isn’t perfect and he would be the first to say so. He needs to improve on his pre-snap reads as well as cut down on his interceptions (16 in 2011). But I am personally excited to see him work under new OC Rhett Lashlee, and believe he is primed for a great year.  

The Backup

The biggest question of fall camp at the quarterback position should be who wins the backup job. First impression is that it is Phillip Butterfield’s (6’2 220 RSO) job to lose. Butterfield was a highly touted quarterback out of Lake Hamilton HS that originally was on his way to run Gus Malzahn’s offense for the Tulsa Hurricanes. Things work out in funny ways and now Phillip has a chance to do just that, but for the Red Wolves. However after a couple of knee surgeries and missing the 2011 season, Butterfield must prove that he is 100% and can be the backup in 2012. Coming off of the 2nd knee surgery, Phillip was the only scholarship backup QB this spring and really wasn’t allowed to go full speed. Butterfield did practice however and should have the inside track to the backup job, having more experience at the collegiate level than the other candidates. It will be this fall when Stephen Hogan (6’4 210 RFR) and the incoming freshmen Fredi Knighten (5’10 175 FR) and Dezmond Stegall (6’2 210 FR), arrive and the true competition will begin.

Hogan arrived on campus last fall as a high school quarterback that was expected to compete at wide receiver for ASU. After Butterfield’s injury, Hogan moved to QB and was Freeze’s emergency guy this fall, but fortunately wasn’t needed and was able to redshirt. Hogan has all the skills wanted in a spread QB, but after off season shoulder surgery, he was limited to learning the offense this spring in the classroom with no real on-field action. But for the guy that the former staff thought might be the most talented QB on the roster, the battle for the backup roll can begin when he is healthy this fall.

Knighten was a Parade All-American in high school at Pulaski Academy. Malzahn has compared him to Michigan’s Denard Robinson. Knighten should be very comfortable in Malzahn’s spread offense after running the Kevin Kelley attack at PA. While it may be tough to come in right away and beat out guys with more experience, Fredi has a lot of athleticism and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him in some “Rabid Wolf” sets this fall ala Kiehl Frazier at Auburn. Stegall might be the best athlete of the group. His size and speed are a very good fit for the type of quarterback that can be a major threat in Malzahn’s offense. It is difficult for any freshman to take over at a Division I school and lead them to a bowl. Fortunately Knighten and Stegall will not have to, so competing for the backup spot is a perfect scenario for the young Red Wolves. A player that I have yet to mention is Zach Davis (6’1 185 RFR). Davis, a walk on from Harrisburg, had a very good spring and an excellent Spring Game. Davis became the all time leading passer in Arkansas public school history while running his father’s (Harrisburg Head Football Coach) version of the spread.  

The Plan

Aplin will be the man this fall. The only question is who will be the next in line. Throughout the season it may depend on how much the number two guy is needed. If it is for spot duty, it may be the safer more experienced choice. If it is for a longer term solution (God forbid Aplin gets hurt) then perhaps the best playmaker wins the job. It is possible that the experienced guy is the best playmaker. It will take the fall camp for the coaches to make that decision. And as long as Aplin stays healthy, it may not need to be decided throughout the entire season.  One thing for certain though is that when Aplin is gone, there will be a major battle for the QB job in the Spring 2013.

To Expand or Not to Expand

No, this isn’t about my ever growing waistline or my need to exercise.  It’s about the looming decisions facing the Sun Belt and its members.  There are changes afoot and there are a number of directions possible.

The Belt has added Georgia State to give the conference 11 football playing programs.   The Panthers are within the conferences geographical footprint and offer a very large market for television purposes.  While they do not draw huge crowds in the cavernous Georgia Dome currently, they have a large student body and a huge metro to draw from in the middle of football country.  Georgia State is coming in 2013 and the move was clearly based on market and potential on the field and in the stands.

Unfortunately, it appears that the Belt cannot afford to stand pat for long.  If rumors are true, UNT and FIU will soon be leaving for Conference USA.  North Texas has seen its standing as a football program diminish as other programs have joined the Belt since 2005 but along with FIU they offer two of the largest TV markets in the nation.  Conference USA has a voracious appetite for big cities regardless of their prowess on the field on court and there are a limited number of programs who fit the bill since the Big East cherry-picked its top programs.

All is not lost.  The Sun Belt is left with its top overall athletic programs in WKU and MTSU as well as its most recently successful football teams.  Arkansas State, Louisiana and Western Kentucky all obtained bowl eligibility last season and perennial power Troy returns.  MTSU and FAU have enjoyed postseason play quite recently as well.  Additionally, virtually every program remaining in the Belt has either recently upgraded or will soon be upgrading their athletic facilities.  Attendance for football games is at an all-time high and the conference is losing one of its most poorly fan supported programs in FIU.  A quick look around reveals that the Sun Belt is on the rise and losing two programs is not going to change that fact.  Every conference but the SEC has been affected by defections recently but life goes on.

How exactly should life go on in the Sun Belt if two teams leave?  Should the Belt stay at 9 football programs?  Invite teams to move to ten or twelve?  Invite FBS or FCS teams?  Go for big markets or teams that will fill the stands and the win column?  Stay within a tight geographical footprint or expand the boundaries? 

Commissioner Karl Benson has stated that he wants to expand the conference to include at least twelve football schools and fourteen overall.  While it’s possible he may have meant to get to twelve before the coming defections so we are left with ten football teams, I am going to assume he wants to have twelve football schools even without UNT and FIU.  With that said, let’s consider the candidates, their attributes and the various schools of thought.

One option would be to mimic CUSA and MWC and try to find large market teams to fill the three spots needed to get to twelve.  The schools that seem to be in that group include UNC-Charlotte and Old Dominion.  UT-San Antonio belongs in this group but they may very well be bound for CUSA.  As for UNCC and ODU, they both seem content with their current conference for the purpose of non-football sports.  This group of schools just does not fit what the Sun Belt needs in my opinion.

A second option would be to shake the FBS tree and see what falls out.  The WAC is drawing its last breath and several members will be looking for a home in 2013.  Some members of the WAC may very well find homes in CUSA or the MWC.  The schools most likely left looking for a home include Idaho, New Mexico State and Texas State.  All three schools push the boundary westward.  Idaho is so far removed from the Belt’s footprint that it would be a very longshot for the Belt.  NMSU has a lot of history with the Belt so it can’t be ruled out but again, the boundaries would be stretched significantly.  Texas State is the easternmost member of this group of three and recent rumblings point to their inclusion in the Sun Belt.

The final stone to turn in search of new members is to poach some of the most appealing FCS programs in terms of wins, facilities and fan support.  Consider this the anti-CUSA approach to building a conference.  Schools like Georgia Southern, Appalachian State and Missouri State have strong facilities, fan support and on the field/ court success.  Appalachian State would sit atop the conference in attendance most seasons and they have been very successful in the standings.  Similarly, Ga. Southern has six national titles and draws crowds as well as most Belt teams.  Missouri State has very strong basketball and baseball programs and facilities for those teams that would top the Sun Belt.  Their football facility is smaller but like GSU it is very nice and could easily be expanded.

In my opinion, the Sun Belt will use a combination of options two and three to expand to twelve football playing schools if UNT and FIU are indeed on the move.  Texas State appears poised to move the number to ten and give the Belt a continued presence in Texas.  The final two schools would likely come from a group that includes NMSU, Ga. Southern, App. State and UNCC.  While there are problems with location and accessibility, I would prefer that the Belt invite FCS powerhouses Ga. Southern and App. State.  The trips would be difficult but the potential to improve the strength of the conference and fill the stands are worth it in my opinion.  It’s best to continue the successful trajectory the conference has been on rather than chase markets in search of elusive television money.  With the rapidly changing landscape of college football nobody can be sure what the future holds but the one thing that will always be important is winning.

What are your thoughts?

Spring Position Review

Spring practice has come and gone.  The Gus Malzahn era has begun at Arkansas State!  Who won the position battles this spring and who do we think will eventually win the battles prior to the Red Wolves trip to Autzen Stadium in Eugene Oregon?  After reviewing games from 2011 with a special eye on returners, watching the Spring Game in person and after a second glimpse at the Spring game on tape, we feel it is that time again to look at each position and give our thoughts on not only the depth chart but how each group projects for the 2012 season.   We will start on the offense…

Monday - Quarterbacks

Tuesday - Running backs

Wednesday - Wide Receivers

Thursday - Tight Ends

Friday - Offensive Line

Ambushing Arkansas

In order to “recruit this state like it’s never been recruited” you have to do something special.  Gus Malzahn and his staff are doing just that.  When the tweets started coming out that ASU fans would be proud of the Red Wolf coaching staff because what was about to come, many were intrigued about what it was going to be.  Few were thinking along the lines of such a recruiting adventure.   But now that the “A-State Ambush” is in full swing, only a few naysayers from other schools doubt the smarts of the plan!

“215 schools, 5 days, 1 staff, 1 purpose.”  The 215 school in the state of Arkansas have all been visited by an Arkansas State football coach before.  Steve Roberts and David Gunn made it a point to visit those schools.  I recall David Gunn saying that he walked into some schools that hadn’t seen an ASU coach since the Lacewell days.  But never has the ASU staff put such a focus on the entire state.  7 coaches (the NCAA maximum you can send on the road to recruit) hit the road Monday morning and will cover all 215 schools in one week.  It has taken Coach Gunn an entire year to make all those visits.  The opportunity to sell to the Arkansas high school coaches that Arkansas State cares about their thoughts and opinions is invaluable.  

Granted many of the 215 schools may never have a Division I scholarship player.  And even fewer will have an upcoming senior that can play at the level that Gus Malzahn and staff need to be a perennial top 25 team.  But there are a lot of other reasons that the Ambush is successful when it comes to recruiting.  First of all, there could be some kid that no one knows about that may be that hidden gem.  Casey Woods tweeted “Mayve found one hidden.  One of the perks!”  This is the number one reason behind why you do this.  Another is to look down the road.  There could always be an underclassman that is coming up and this the chance to get the first shot at those guys.  A big reason is the relationship building with those high school coaches.  It tells them that the A-State staff feels that the HS coaches are important and that they are needed in the process for ASU to become a top 25 team.  One of these coaches at a small school say like Hughes, could even end up one day winning state championships at a 7A school.  Heck he may even make it to be an offensive coordinator in the SEC and win a national championship.  Or is that too hard to imagine?

One of the greatest outcomes of the A-State Ambush is the national publicity that it has brought to Arkansas State.   After initial stories by the AStateNation.com, RedwolfReport.com and the Jonesboro Sun, this story was picked up across the country.  Rivals and FoxSports both ran it on the front page of their sites getting over a million hits per site.  It has been picked up by Sports Illustrated, ESPN, CBS Sports, etc. and commented on by the national college football pundits.  There have been tons of tweets by the ASU coaching staff, Arkansas State media, Red Wolf fans, and even national college football gurus.  The publicity has been enormous, and I have to believe that high school coaches and football recruits nationwide are hearing the name Arkansas State Red Wolves more than they ever have. 

The A-State Ambush is a big deal!  Arkansas State Red Wolf fans should be proud of the hard work that the coaching staff is putting into this week in Arkansas and the following weeks when the ambush become more of a spread attack as the coaches hit the surrounding states to get the word out that the GAME IS ON!

The Game!

I am not one that likes to talk about “The Game”. It has never happened and I’m not sure that it ever will. However there has been more and more talk about it since Gus Malzahn took over at Arkansas State. And now that the Bobby Petrino epic failure has resulted in the hiring of interim 10 month coach John L. Smith, it has really jumped into the limelight. However I feel it is a good time to give my opinion on ASU playing UA.

I am an ASU fan through and through. I don't cheer for UA - and never will. Now I don't cheer against them, I just don't cheer for them. The truth is I just don’t care about them. They mean nothing to me. I think about them about the same way that I think about other schools that A-State doesn't schedule - say like Colorado. ASU doesn't play them so I don't think about them. I follow Arkansas State athletics and national sports news, so except for the last two seasons, (and well the national obsession with motorcyclegate) I haven't had to hear anything about the UA. The only time that they become an issue is when both teams are recruiting the same kid. Other than that they are usually pretty insignificant.

I know that a ton of Red Wolf fans obsess with playing them, but I’m not very interested in the game. It seems they are not willing to pay the amount of money that other schools have paid for a game versus a Division I mid major like ASU. Arkansas State only plays those games to supplement the athletics budget and ASU Athletics Director needs to look for top dollar when playing those type games. I do think the policy of not playing the game is outdated and absurd but I am interested in seeing Arkansas State continue to build its fanbase, attendances and donation levels. I sort of feel like the guy that doesn’t want to use big brother to help me get a job. I want to prove that I can do it on my own. ASU can do it on its own, even with the things that the UA and the state have put in place to hold ASU down.

For those that have issue with the last sentence…

ASU has done really well (perhaps not on the field) building its program on its own. Yes there have been a number of lean years and UA fans love to take shots at ASU and its fanbase. I even heard on a radio show the other day that a UA fan had to get his shot in that UA had 45,000 for their spring game and ASU only had 6,000. I quickly wanted to respond that ASU’s increase was 3000 more from last year to this year. Back to the point tells us that ASU has done amazingly well in building a fanbase while having only a couple of winning seasons since moving D1. ASU's fanbase is very hardcore. And most of them HATE the UA. I know that breaks the Razorback fans hearts as they mostly believe this state is all-Razorback. But the truth is ASU's fanbase is very competitive in numbers when it comes to mid-major programs. Arkansas fans belittle the Red Wolf fans for their support and numbers but that is because they always compare ASU to SEC schools. Comparing Arkansas State to programs on par or maybe a little bigger or smaller when looking at budgets and conference you will see that ASU has overcome many self inflicted setbacks as well as outside oppressive setbacks.

So let’s just imagine. Imagine if ASU had been successful on the field over the last 20 years since joining Division I even just averaging 6 wins during that time with several winning seasons and bowl appearances. Imagine that the UA hadn't pushed the state to limit the amount of money other schools in state could use toward athletics and ASU could have an athletic budget to compare with the Southern Miss, Tulsa, and Houston type programs. Imagine that the media in Arkansas gave ASU coverage of a second D1 team in the state. Imagine where this fanbase could be if ASU administration would have made the decision to go all-in 20 years ago. The Arkansas State fanbase would be two or three times larger than it is. If that were true the 30,000 seat stadium would need to be expanded.

Well the ASU administration has decided to go all-in. This pretty solid mid major fanbase is as excited as it has ever been and is pushing its chest out with pride. A leader is in place with Malzahn that can take a #NextLevel step with the program. There has been more national media coverage for Arkansas State in the last few months than you have ever seen. It is even putting pressure on the state media to give ASU their 2nd school status in coverage.

ASU's fanbase will continue to grow and more and more ASU graduates will show more pride. And if you think ASU fans were obnoxious before - hide and wait. Cause beating the Ladybacks in the WNIT and hearing the Hog fans calling talk shows and being shocked that people from the state of Arkansas were booing the Razorbacks was just the tip of the iceberg.

I don't want to play the Razorbacks - we don't need them. We are making it on our on - slowly but surely. HERE WE COME!!!!!! REDWOLFNATION!!!!!!!!!