2023 Arkansas State

6–⁠7 (4–⁠4 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Butch Jones.

Schedule and results

Arkansas State in 2023, game by game: lost at No. 20 Oklahoma 0–73; lost vs. Memphis 3–37; won vs. Stony Brook 31–7; won vs. Southern Miss 44–37; won at Massachusetts 52–28; lost at Troy 3–37; lost vs. Coastal Carolina 17–27; won at UL Monroe 34–24; won vs. Louisiana 37–17; lost at South Alabama 14–21; won vs. Texas State 77–31; lost at Marshall 21–35; lost vs. Northern Illinois 19–21+46−73Lost 0–73 at No. 20 Oklahoma-73No. 20 OklahomaLost 3–37 vs. Memphis-34MemphisWon 31–7 vs. Stony Brook+24Stony BrookWon 44–37 vs. Southern Miss+7Southern MissWon 52–28 at Massachusetts+24MassachusettsLost 3–37 at Troy-34TroyLost 17–27 vs. Coastal Carolina-10Coastal CarolinaWon 34–24 at UL Monroe+10UL MonroeWon 37–17 vs. Louisiana+20LouisianaLost 14–21 at South Alabama-7South AlabamaWon 77–31 vs. Texas State+46Texas StateLost 21–35 at Marshall-14MarshallLost 19–21 vs. Northern Illinois-2Northern Illino…
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Northern Illinois 21–⁠19 in the Camellia Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 22nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 84 on file).

Record
6–⁠7
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 6th in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
352–⁠395
Coach
Butch Jones
Elo
1441 +56 this season
SP+ rating
-6.3 No. 84 of 133; offense No. 70, defense No. 105, special teams No. 49
SRS
−6.3 No. 96 of 133 in FBS
Returning
18% of last season’s EPA, No. 122 of 131
Recruiting class
No. 74 roster talent No. 92 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Keith Heckendorf
Defensive coordinator
Rob Harley
Offense
Power spread
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense72nd of 133
  • Defense112th of 133
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted84th of 133
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted115th of 133
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0740%1.3372nd of 133
Defense0.2044%1.29112th of 133
Opponent-adjusted0.08 off
0.18 def
39% off
44% def
—84th off
115th 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 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.2own 3117% allowed
Defense4.0own 2716% caused

CORE rating -4.3, 80th of 133 (offense 1.6, defense 5.9).

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 yardsJaylen Raynor QB2,543 yds
Passing touchdownsJaylen Raynor QB17 TD
Rushing yardsJa’Quez Cross RB716 yds
Rushing touchdownsJa’Quez Cross RB7 TD
Receiving yardsCorey Rucker WR705 yds
Receiving touchdownsCourtney Jackson WR7 TD
TacklesCharles Willekes LB91 tkl
SacksKeyron Crawford DE5.5 sacks
InterceptionsEddie Smith S2 INT

Top recruits in the 2023 class

Clyde Curry WR★★★No. 1074
Brian Alston DE★★★No. 1168
DeAndra Burns Jr. WR★★★No. 1245
Tennel Bryant WR★★★No. 1403
Ian Jeffries DL★★★No. 1501

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2023 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks22.50.798
Running backs13.00.810
Receivers63.00.845
Offensive line23.00.833
Defensive line43.00.844
Linebackers33.00.833
Defensive backs33.00.835
Whole class213.00.834

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 121

The 2023 roster

121 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 63 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 8

The 2023 portal

Transfers out 13

Kenneth Harris CB★★★to Oklahoma State
King Mwikuta LB★★★★no new school on file
Ahmad Robinson CB★★★no new school on file
Deris Jackson DL★★★no new school on file
Derrick Bean S★★★no new school on file
Isaiah Azubuike RB★★★no new school on file
Israel Whitmore LB★★★no new school on file
Kyle Kelly OT★★★to Northern Iowa
Omari Walker WR★★★no new school on file
Tristan Shorter LB★★★no new school on file
Vershaud Richardson LB★★★no new school on file
Ethan Miner OL★★to North Texas

And 1 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2023 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
James Madison7–⁠111–⁠2
Troy7–⁠111–⁠3
App State6–⁠29–⁠5
Coastal Carolina5–⁠38–⁠5
Old Dominion5–⁠36–⁠7
Texas State4–⁠48–⁠5
South Alabama4–⁠47–⁠6
Arkansas State4–⁠46–⁠7
Georgia State3–⁠57–⁠6
Georgia Southern3–⁠56–⁠7
Marshall3–⁠56–⁠7
Louisiana3–⁠56–⁠7
Southern Miss2–⁠63–⁠9
UL Monroe0–⁠82–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.