The Arkansas State Red Wolves started the 2023 season 0-2 but rallied to a 6-6 regular season finish and an appearance in the Camellia Bowl. Head coach Butch Jones relied heavily on a freshman to quarterback the offense and a cluster of experienced veterans to man the rest of the field.
Hoping for another crack at a bowl game for Jones’ fourth season in Jonesboro, who are the top 10 returning players for Arkansas State in 2024?
Arkansas State Red Wolves Top 10 Returners in 2024
Analyzing the returning players at every school is a difficult task in the transfer portal area. As such, we’ve included transfer-portal athletes that were included on each team’s roster page to open fall camp in addition to the rostered players from last year.
10) Zak Wallace, RB
After transferring in from UT Martin following 2022, Zak Wallace finished second on the Red Wolves in rushing yards with 594 yards and six touchdowns. He’s back in 2024 as one half of a one-two punch out of the backfield for Arkansas State.
9) Mehki Butler, OG
Listed at 6’3″, 320 pounds, Mehki Butler has 25 starts at guard over the last two seasons for Arkansas State. The big man from Omaha is one of a handful of experienced offensive linemen returning to Jonesboro, and the first of three to make this list.
8) Makilan Thomas, OT
Makilan Thomas earned a second-team All-Sun Belt designation after allowing just 22 pressures and one sack on 836 snaps. Listed at 6’3″, 306 pounds, Thomas is the team’s primary left tackle but he he has been used all across the line, starting games at left tackle, right guard, and right tackle in the 2022 season.
7) Ja’Quez Cross, RB/KR
A third-team All-Sun Belt selection as a return specialist, Ja’Quez Cross also led the Red Wolves in rushing with 738 yards and seven scores. He became the first player in Sun Belt history to win Offensive Player of the Week and Special Teams Player of the Week after the same game when he rushed for 139 yards and three scores and returned a kickoff for a 93-yard touchdown against Texas State.
6) Jacob Bayer, C
Starting every game at center last season, Jacob Bayer proved to be one of the more formidable interior offensive linemen in the conference. He received first-team All-Sun Belt honors after allowing just eight pressures and one sack on 757 snaps. Bayer is back to lead a strong offensive line in Jonesboro as a senior.
5) Trevian Thomas, S
A two-year starter at safety in Jonesboro, Trevian Thomas enters his fifth season at Arkansas State after leading the Red Wolves in tackles last year (91). With 178 career tackles, he also has a nose for the end zone, scoring a touchdown in each of the last two seasons — a 27-yard pick-six against UMass in 2022 and a 91-yard fumble return against Texas State.
4) Corey Rucker, WR
After Corey Rucker spent the 2022 season at South Carolina, the prodigal son returned for a second stint with the Red Wolves last season. He finished with a team-leading 706 yards along with 36 catches and two scores, averaging 19.6 yards per catch. In three seasons with the Red Wolves (2020-2021, 2023) Rucker has hauled in 111 catches for 1,984 yards and 16 scores, averaging 17.9 yards per catch.
3) Courtney Jackson, WR
An All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention at receiver, Courtney Jackson caught 39 passes for 689 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns, while returning 16 punts for 161 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown return. He started his career at Syracuse (2019-2022) where he caught 63 catches for 662 yards in 38 games, leading the Orange in receiving in 2021.
2) Charles Willekes, LB
After playing his first season at Michigan State in 2019, Charles Willekes transferred to Arkansas State and played primarily off the bench until last season.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
He registered 35 tackles combined in the 2021 and 2022 seasons before exploding to an 89-tackle season in 2023, with 8.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and one pass defense.
1) Jaylen Raynor, QB
The Sun Belt Freshman of the Year at quarterback, Jaylen Raynor’s true freshman campaign was impactful enough to land him at the top of Arkansas State’s top 10 returning starters for 2024. In 11 games, he threw for 2,543 yards, 17 touchdowns to seven interceptions, while for another 380 yards and five scores. He is one of just three Sun Belt quarterbacks on the Davey O’Brien Award preseason watch list.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest news and analysis, rankings, transfer portal information, top 10 returning players, the 2024 college football season schedule, and much more!