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| Arkansas State Head Coach Gus Malzahn |
After
one dynamic season, including a perfect 8-0 Sun Belt record, former head coach Hugh Freeze was named
the new Ole Miss head coach. Running backs coach David Gunn was named Arkansas
State’s interim head coach and led the team in the 2012 GoDaddy.com Bowl
against Northern Illinois.
After
Freeze’s departure, Arkansas State hired Auburn offensive coordinator Gus
Malzahn to take over the program. Malzahn earned the Frank Broyles Award
presented to the nation’s top assistant coach in 2010.
There
are some key losses on Arkansas State football team in, WR Dwayne Frampton, OL
Tom Castilaw, DL Brandon Joiner, LB Demario Davis, DB Darryl Feemster, DB
Kelcie McCray, OL Delano Moore, DL Dorvus Woods, and DB Darron Edwards.
Arkansas
State will also see some top returnees in QB Ryan Aplin, WR Josh Jarboe,
LB Nathan Herrold, WR Taylor Stockemer, OL Zach McKnight, and CB Chaz Scales.
While
Arkansas State lost a lot of starters, Aplin returns to lead the offense and
should thrive in head coach Malzahn’s system.
Aplin
is a dual threat quarterback who ranked No. 10 nationally in yards of total
offense per game with 321.23. Arkansas State’s passing attack ranked No. 16
nationally (293.62 yards per game) and total offense ranked No. 24 (447.85
yards per game).
Talented
receivers Taylor Stockemer and Josh Jarboe should be strong playmakers, while
the Red Wolves will count on Zach McKnight setting the tone for an offensive
line that will feature a lot of new starters.
On
the defensive side of the ball, Arkansas State ranked No. 8 nationally in
tackles for a loss (7.62 per game) and tied for No. 15 in sacks (2.69 per
game).
I
do predict that Gus Malzahn and his new team will put up a lot of points this
falls. Malzahn and the Red Wolves has a chance to once again be the Sun Belt
Champions if all holds well with the team and out play Troy, Western Kentucky,
UL-Lafayette and FIU.
