Arkansas State Football: Will Red Wolves become threats in 2021?

How will the Red Wolves far in 2021?

This season will be an interesting new perspective on the football program and its fans. Arkansas State hasn’t had a change in staffs and change of overall outlook in several years. There is reason to believe that the Red Wolves will be back to competing in the Sun Belt and for a bowl game season. There is also reason to believe that it will take a season of rebuilding to get the team to this level after some drastic changes.

The Red Wolves do feel confident in the players they have leading their offense. Some key transfers will the team on both sides of the ball. Hatcher and Blackmon could make a great dynamic duo like Bonner and Hatcher was last season. It will be the defense that ultimately determines how successful the Red Wolves will be in the 2021 College Football season.

• Game 1: Central Arkansas (W) – The Red Wolves kick off the season with a high-power explosive offensive performance from both Hatcher and Blackmon while utilizing new schemes than last year.
• Game 2: Memphis (L) – Memphis is undergoing some drastic changes themselves in 2021, but their experienced coaching staff will keep them stable enough to beat the Red Wolves.
• Game 3: at Washington (L) – Arkansas State will take a long road trip to face a Washington determined to overthrow the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 North.
• Game 4: at Tulsa (L) – The Red Wolves finish out their brutal non-conference schedule against a Golden Hurricanes team that returns 19 total starters, including ten on defense.
• Game 5: at Georgia Southern (L) – While the Red Wolves front-seven will be up to the task against this tough triple-option Eagles offense, the Red Wolves offense will face a highly efficient secondary of Georgia Southern.
• Game 6: Coastal Carolina (L) – The Chanticleers were great last year. They are expected to be even better with a large number of starters returning in 2021.
• Game 7: Louisiana (L) – Like Coastal Carolina, the Ragin’ Cajuns return a large number of starters (20) from last year’s great team.
• Game 8: at South Alabama (L) – Arkansas State falls into another trap game against the Jaguars, who have been two games in a row against the Red Wolves.
• Game 9: Appalachian State (L) – The Red Wolves get their eighth consecutive loss of the season to a Mountaineers team that is loaded in their defensive line and secondary.
• Game 10: at ULM (W) – The Red Wolves finally catch a break against a Warhawks team rebuilding after accounting for a 0-10 season last year.
• Game 11: at Georgia State (W) – Arkansas State will get an upset win over a Georgia State team that, last season, was ranked 113th against the passing game.
• Game 12: Texas State (W) – The Red Wolves will finish off the 2021 season with a big win over a struggling Bobcats team, who are struggling internally.

Prediction: 4-8, 3-5 in Sun Belt play

The Red Wolves will endure a brutal Sun Belt Conference and non-conference schedule this season. Two road games to face the Washington Huskies and the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes will be tough for the Red Wolves to develop their team.

The biggest struggle for the team this season will be the tough five-game stretch of elite Sun Belt teams as well as teams that are on the rise.

This 2021 season will not entirely disappointing for the Arkansas State Red Wolves. They have to adapt to their first new head coach in many seasons. Butch Jones will prove to be the right head coach for Arkansas State through efficient recruiting and building solid units on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, there will be stellar moments for the Red Wolves including the potential dynamic duo of quarterbacks Layne Hatcher and James Blackmon. There will be questions on the play of their running game, receivers, and their offensive line. There will be even more questions with their defense as the secondary is the main culprit of their downfall again in 2021. They should have a loaded front-seven, which could save their season.

It will not take multiple seasons to get back into a team that can win eight or more games as they have in the past couple of seasons. There are already some elite Sun Belt teams that are looking to become the first team from the conference to make it to a major bowl during the CFB Playoff era. If they can keep the young players they have now for the future and recruit efficiently then the Red Wolves will be back.