2021 Arkansas State
2–10 (1–7 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Butch Jones. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Central Arkansas 40–21Sep 4
By 19 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Texas State 22–24Nov 27
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | vs Central Arkansas | W 40–21 | 71% |
| Sep 11 | vs Memphis | L 50–55 | 38% |
| Sep 18 | at Washington | L 3–52 | 33% |
| Sep 25 | at Tulsa | L 34–41 | 34% |
| Oct 2 | at Georgia Southern | L 33–59 | 36% |
| Oct 7 | vs 15Coastal Carolina | L 20–52 | 25% |
| Oct 21 | vs Louisiana | L 27–28 | 20% |
| Oct 30 | at South Alabama | L 13–31 | 34% |
| Nov 6 | vs App State | L 14–48 | 21% |
| Nov 13 | at UL Monroe | W 27–24 | 41% |
| Nov 20 | at Georgia State | L 20–28 | 23% |
| Nov 27 | vs Texas State | L 22–24 | 63% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Texas State 24–22; unranked in the final AP poll; 10th in the Sun Belt Conference.
In program history: The 44th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 84 on file).
Led the nationAlan Lamar: kickoff return yards (1,333 yds)
- Record
- 2–10
- Conference
- 1–7 10th in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 303–463
- Coach
- Butch Jones
- Elo
- 1339 −115 this season
- SP+ rating
- -17.9 No. 119 of 130; offense No. 108, defense No. 124
- SRS
- −16.3 No. 123 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 70% of last season’s EPA, No. 74 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 106 roster talent No. 83 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Keith Heckendorf
- Defensive coordinator
- Rob Harley
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.03 | 35% | 1.36 | 115th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.34 | 46% | 1.51 | 124th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.04 off 0.31 def | 35% off 46% def | — | 122nd off 128th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.1 | own 26 | 23% allowed |
| Defense | 4.2 | own 28 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -22.6, 120th of 130 (offense -7.0, defense 15.6).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Layne Hatcher QB | 2,423 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Layne Hatcher QB | 19 TD |
| Rushing yards | Lincoln Pare RB | 448 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Alan Lamar RB | 1 TD |
| Receiving yards | Corey Rucker WR | 816 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Corey Rucker WR | 9 TD |
| Tackles | Elery Alexander S | 85 tkl |
| Sacks | Kivon Bennett LB | 8 sacks |
| Interceptions | Samy Johnson CB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2021 class
| Cam Jeffery ATH | ★★★ | No. 600 |
| Dennard Flowers DE | ★★★ | No. 1248 |
| Ethan Hassler DE | ★★★ | No. 1250 |
| Jalil Muhammad OL | ★★★ | No. 1405 |
| Wyatt Begeal QB | ★★★ | No. 1426 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2021 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.842 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.808 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.825 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.827 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.805 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.874 |
| Whole class | 14 | 3.0 | 0.831 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 114
The 2021 roster114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 65 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 16
The 2021 portal Tevailance Hunt WR | ★★★ | from  TCU |
 Alan Lamar RB | ★★★ | from  Yale |
 Akeem Hayes WR | ★★★ | from  Kentucky |
 Allan Walters QB | ★★★ | from  Mississippi State |
 Brady Martin QB | ★★★ | from  Rhode Island |
 James Blackman QB | ★★★ | from  Florida State |
 John Mincey DL | ★★★ | from  Tennessee |
 Johnnie Lang RB | ★★★ | from  Iowa State |
 Justin Rice ILB | ★★★ | from  Fresno State |
 Khyheem Waleed WR | ★★★ | from  Boise State |
| Kivon Bennett DE | ★★★ | from Tennessee |
| Nick Lewis OT | ★★★ | from Kentucky |
And 4 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 8
 Jarrett Horst OT | ★★★ | to  Michigan State |
| Logan Bonner QB | ★★★ | to  Utah State |
| Donovan Marshall RB | ★★★ | to Lindenwood University |
| Javar Strong S | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jevon Jones CB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Brandon Bowling WR | ★★ | to Utah State |
| Javonis Isaac TE | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Cooper Lucas LB | no new school on file |
2021 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 8–0 | 13–1 | 16 |
| App State | 7–1 | 10–4 | |
| Coastal Carolina | 6–2 | 11–2 | |
| Georgia State | 6–2 | 8–5 | |
 Troy | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Texas State | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| South Alabama | 2–6 | 5–7 | |
| UL Monroe | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Georgia Southern | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Arkansas State | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.