There is a lot of banter and a lot of opinions out there regarding the current condition of the Arkansas State football program, especially after a 2-win season. No one ever wants to see a year like the Red Wolves just endured, and it certainly brings out those thoughts and opinions I have already mentioned.
Speaking of opinions, here's mine:
I was vastly concerned about the way recruiting was going the last few years Blake Anderson was here. Now, let me begin by saying this is in no way a shot at Blake. He was very, very good to me while he was here. However, when Mrs. Wendy got sick Blake lost Trooper Taylor, Brian Early, and Joe Cauthen around the same time. They were his three best recruiters that he had on staff. Add Blake to that and you had four quality guys who could sell anyone on coming to Arkansas State.
Once those three guys left and Blake began having to take more time away to tend to his wife, recruiting began to take a downward turn. You didn't have those stud recruiters to handle things for Blake while he was away, and it showed up in the recruiting classes.
There were numerous young men who signed with the Red Wolves that only had one FBS offer. That lone offer was Arkansas State. The rest of their offers were FCS and D2 level offers. I don't blame them for jumping on the Arkansas State offer. The program was winning games, going to bowl games, and was fun to watch. They did what anyone would do in that situation. The only problem with that is that other Sun Belt schools were recruiting at a higher level. That began to show up two years ago. It really showed up last season where there was a losing season and no bowl game, and it really, really showed up this year.
The only way I can describe how bad the situation really is is to call it what it really is - A COMPLETE REBUILD.
That is where Butch Jones and his staff are at right now. I've had a few conversations with staff members, to include Jones, who have spoken about the amount of FCS and D2 level athletes on this FBS team right now. Some have developed nicely and have contributed, but the majority have not. That is a problem.
Butch Jones' first recruiting class was done in a whirlwind style. If you remember there were roughly 16 guys committed when Butch Jones was hired. Within a couple of days offers were pulled for all but one kid. That kid was the only one with FBS offers besides Arkansas State. That kid is Wyatt Begeal. Jones and his staff then went out and got a decent recruiting class, but they knew they had to hit the transfer portal hard. That two week's worth of recruiting took Arkansas State's class from dead last in the Sun Belt conference to fifth over all in the conference.
We can all say what we want, but it didn't matter who the coach was this year. This year was going to be a bad year for the Red Wolves. One thing I told myself as this season progressed is that even Nick Saban struggled his first year at Alabama.
Now, Butch and his staff have been here just short of a full year. Recruiting is going well. They currently have the top class in the Sun Belt, and a class that is on par to be the highest rated class in school history. That is going to bode well for this program. Add the fact that teams like Louisiana, App State, Coastal Carolina, etc. are all graduating a ton of sixth year seniors and I feel like Arkansas State has a good chance of winning 7-8 games and going to a bowl game next year. The non-conference and home schedule for next season are very favorable for that. Simply put, if Arkansas State wins all of their home games next year, they are bowl eligible.
Look, I know fans are frustrated. Add some solid players hitting the transfer portal over the past few days and people really begin to worry. They begin to question if Butch Jones can get it done here. My opinion on that is that he has shown he can win everywhere he has been. I know people will bring up Tennessee and what happened there, but no one since Butch Jones has left has been able to do what he did there. He has certainly proven he can build solid G5 programs.
With that being said, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I know the administration at Arkansas State understands this is a complete rebuild, and I certainly understand that as a guy that has covered college recruiting since 2005.
I know we live in a time where people want instant gratification, but unfortunately we are all just going to have to hang on for the ride. I've got a feeling that all of the pain and hard times are going to pay off into something everyone is going to enjoy watching.
Speaking of opinions, here's mine:
I was vastly concerned about the way recruiting was going the last few years Blake Anderson was here. Now, let me begin by saying this is in no way a shot at Blake. He was very, very good to me while he was here. However, when Mrs. Wendy got sick Blake lost Trooper Taylor, Brian Early, and Joe Cauthen around the same time. They were his three best recruiters that he had on staff. Add Blake to that and you had four quality guys who could sell anyone on coming to Arkansas State.
Once those three guys left and Blake began having to take more time away to tend to his wife, recruiting began to take a downward turn. You didn't have those stud recruiters to handle things for Blake while he was away, and it showed up in the recruiting classes.
There were numerous young men who signed with the Red Wolves that only had one FBS offer. That lone offer was Arkansas State. The rest of their offers were FCS and D2 level offers. I don't blame them for jumping on the Arkansas State offer. The program was winning games, going to bowl games, and was fun to watch. They did what anyone would do in that situation. The only problem with that is that other Sun Belt schools were recruiting at a higher level. That began to show up two years ago. It really showed up last season where there was a losing season and no bowl game, and it really, really showed up this year.
The only way I can describe how bad the situation really is is to call it what it really is - A COMPLETE REBUILD.
That is where Butch Jones and his staff are at right now. I've had a few conversations with staff members, to include Jones, who have spoken about the amount of FCS and D2 level athletes on this FBS team right now. Some have developed nicely and have contributed, but the majority have not. That is a problem.
Butch Jones' first recruiting class was done in a whirlwind style. If you remember there were roughly 16 guys committed when Butch Jones was hired. Within a couple of days offers were pulled for all but one kid. That kid was the only one with FBS offers besides Arkansas State. That kid is Wyatt Begeal. Jones and his staff then went out and got a decent recruiting class, but they knew they had to hit the transfer portal hard. That two week's worth of recruiting took Arkansas State's class from dead last in the Sun Belt conference to fifth over all in the conference.
We can all say what we want, but it didn't matter who the coach was this year. This year was going to be a bad year for the Red Wolves. One thing I told myself as this season progressed is that even Nick Saban struggled his first year at Alabama.
Now, Butch and his staff have been here just short of a full year. Recruiting is going well. They currently have the top class in the Sun Belt, and a class that is on par to be the highest rated class in school history. That is going to bode well for this program. Add the fact that teams like Louisiana, App State, Coastal Carolina, etc. are all graduating a ton of sixth year seniors and I feel like Arkansas State has a good chance of winning 7-8 games and going to a bowl game next year. The non-conference and home schedule for next season are very favorable for that. Simply put, if Arkansas State wins all of their home games next year, they are bowl eligible.
Look, I know fans are frustrated. Add some solid players hitting the transfer portal over the past few days and people really begin to worry. They begin to question if Butch Jones can get it done here. My opinion on that is that he has shown he can win everywhere he has been. I know people will bring up Tennessee and what happened there, but no one since Butch Jones has left has been able to do what he did there. He has certainly proven he can build solid G5 programs.
With that being said, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I know the administration at Arkansas State understands this is a complete rebuild, and I certainly understand that as a guy that has covered college recruiting since 2005.
I know we live in a time where people want instant gratification, but unfortunately we are all just going to have to hang on for the ride. I've got a feeling that all of the pain and hard times are going to pay off into something everyone is going to enjoy watching.
