NCAA Football
For Arkansas St. and Troy, it’s about reloading, not rebuilding
Troy and Arkansas St. had the honor of having defensive standouts drafted on the first day of the recent NFL draft, as Trojans cornerback Leodis McKelvin was the first corner taken, going #11 overall to the Buffalo Bills, which ASU safety Tyrell Johnson was taken in the second round by the Minnesota Vikings.
Great honor for both schools, but those departures and several other key departures leave some big shoes to fill in 2008.
Johnson was the 2007 Sun Belt Defensive Player, and in 2007 became the league’s all-time leading tackles, finishing his stellar career with 360 tackles.
Meanwhile, McKelvin was not only a star in Troy’s secondary, but also one of the best return men in the country, as he returned three punts for touchdowns as a senior and had nine return touchdowns in his career (seven punt, one kick, one interception).
But, those weren’t the only losses for both teams.
Troy also said goodbye to QB Omar Haugabrook, leading rusher Kenny Cattouse, and leading receiver Gary Banks, along with offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who took the same position at Auburn.
Along with McKelvin on defense, gone is starting corner Elbert Mack, who tied for the nation’s lead in interceptions with eight, and there are holes to fill at linebacker.
As for ASU, they lose leading receiver Levi Dejohnette, but the impact is more on defense. The secondary is decimated by the departures of Johnson, Khayyam Burns, Marcus Harrison, and Darren Toney, and star linebacker Koby McKinnon is also gone, taking four of their five top tacklers from last season.
Think either team shouldn’t feel pretty good about their chances to make a push in the Sun Belt this season? Think again.
Larry Blakeney’s Trojans return many core players who were keys on last years team, which fell a touchdown short of the Sun Belt title.
Linebacker Boris Lee (82 tackles) will anchor the defense, and he has some pretty talented cohorts from front to back, Starting defensive linemen Dion Gales (30 tackles, 8 for loss), Kenny Mainor (40 tackles, 5 sacks), and Cameron Sheffield (27 tackles) are back along with Brandon Lang, who started the first three games before missing the final nine due to injury.
The secondary does take a hit, but Troy recruited well, and Terence Moore will slot in at nickel back, with playmaker Sherrod Martin moving back to safety, where he’ll be able to have a monster senior season after finishing tied for second in the country last season with six forced fumbles. The other safety position is also set, with Tavares Williams returning.
On offense, sophomore DaJuan Harris, who ran for 372 yards (4.5 yards per carry) will slot in for the departed Cattouse, while receiver is an extremely deep position for the Trojans, even though Banks, Cattouse, and Josh Allen, their three leading receivers are gone. Protection and blocking also won’t be an issue, as all five primary starters return, including 2007 All-Sun Belt first-team selection Dion Small.
The only question mark on offense is at quarterback, though someone will emerge from the trio of Jamie Hampton, Tanner Jones, and Levi Brown. As for the system? Coordinator duties change hands from Franklin to former inside receivers coach Neal Brown, but the system - and the production - won’t change.
For the soon-to-be Red Wolves, the offense should be pretty potent as well, with QB Corey Leonard (2,235 yards, 16 TD passing, 547 yards, 5 TD rushing in 2007) and 1,000 yard rusher Reggie Arnold (1,060 yards, 9 TD) back, and with Brandon Thompkins (41 catches, 503 yards, TD) and tight ends Trevor Gilcott and David Johnson returning, Leonard will have some reliable targets to throw to.
McKinnon, Johnson, and Burns won’t be easy to replace on D, but there are a lot of returnees that should help limit the amount of bumps in the road, led by linebackers Ben Owens (96 tackles), Javon McKinnon (41 tackles), and Gregory Hardy (38 tackles, 2.5 for loss), and defensive ends Brian Flagg (44 tackles, 5.5 for loss) and Alex Carrington (38 tackles, 5 for loss) will make Steve Roberts confident about his defense’s potential.
With a wide-open league, and many teams in a similar position of having to replace impact players, it’d be a mistake to write either of these talent-laden teams off, whether it’s May, August, or October.
Get tickets for Arkansas State’s games at Texas A&M, Memphis, and Alabama at TicketCity!!
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I can’t disagree on your assesment of Troy,but your views on Ark.State are off base.They will be a bottom tier team in the SunBelt this year.You made no mention that they lost their entire offensive line.Kinda important to a good offense.