JONESBORO — The Arkansas State football team engineered a major in-season turnaround in 2025.
After starting the season 1-4, the Red Wolves rattled off victories in six of their last eight games, including a 34-28 win over Missouri State in the Xbox Bowl, to finish the year with an 7-6 record.
While the unlikely turnaround made for a memorable season, Arkansas State’s slow start is something Coach Butch Jones still thinks about as the team prepares for the 2026 campaign. Jones spoke at a news conference ahead of the Red Wolves’ first spring practice on Monday.
“To be very candid with you, I thought we had an average June and July (last year),” he said. “We have to be more mentally and physically ready for training camp. … (A) 1-4 (start) and what can we do better? That’s constantly what I’m playing over in my mind.”
With 41 lettermen and 10 starters returning from last season, there is a solid core in place to help bring the 59 newcomers along. Around 80% of the program’s new players are available to participate this spring.
Having those players available for the 15 spring practices will be valuable as the team will look to replace a number of key contributors that left. Three-year starting quarterback Jaylen Raynor transferred to Iowa State, while wide receiver Corey Rucker Jr. exhausted his eligibility.
Raynor and Rucker are the most notable losses from the offense, while the entire starting front seven of the defense will have to be replaced. Second-team All-Sun Belt defensive tackle Cody Sigler transferred to Auburn after anchoring the Red Wolves’ defensive front in 2025.
“Spring football is monumental in the development of our football team,” Jones said. “Especially when you have the number of individuals that are new faces that we have in our program. That’s just football today, but we have to do a great job of exposing our players to anything and everything.”
Jones maintained his stance that the quarterback position is a wide-open battle between four players. Ethan Crawford is lone returning quarterback, while Texas transfer Trey Owens and a pair of Vanderbilt transfers in Drew Dickey and Jeremy St-Hilaire are expected to compete to replace Raynor.
There will also be a new voice calling the plays as Garrett Altman took over as offensive coordinator for Keith Heckendorf, who joined Raynor at Iowa State and will be the Cyclones’ quarterbacks coach. Altman was the quarterbacks coach at Vanderbilt the past two seasons.
“Everywhere I’ve been, you know who picks the starting quarterback? The team,” Jones said. “The team picks the starting quarterback by the way they rally around them. By the way they believe in them. That gets back to the leadership. Who’s going to step up? Who has the command presence? Who’s the CEO quarterback? Who understands the expectations of playing quarterback here at Arkansas State?
Jones emphasized on more than one occasion Monday the importance of finding new leaders during the spring and summer. He highlighted wide receiver Chauncy Cobb as one of the emerging leaders who already has the respect of the locker room.
Cobb finished last season with 73 receptions for 797 yards and a touchdown. He added 598 yards and two scores as a kick returner.
“The person who has had a tremendous offseason has been Chauncy Cobb,” Jones said. “(Cobb) has put over 22 pounds on since the season. He bench’s and squat’s double his bodyweight. He’s turned into a leader..He has the respect of his peers, so he’s really been the one on the forefront.”
Returning safety Joe Drew and offensive lineman Tristian Smith, along with Utah State transfer cornerback Noah Flores, are few of the other individuals Jones singled out that have already assumed leadership roles early in the offseason.
The Red Wolves have three practices scheduled this week then will complete their final 12 practices following next week’s spring break. ASU’s annual Pack Day Spring Game will be held on April 25, marking the end of spring practice.
“I’m excited about this team,” Jones said. “So far, I like our identity which we’ve built and now we’re going to find out much more about this team in the next 15 practices.”
