ASU gets jolt from junior- college transfers
JONESBORO — When Blake Anderson began his first season as Arkansas State’s coach a little more than a year ago, he didn’t plan on signing any junior- college transfers in his first full recruiting class.
The foundation of his first program would be built on the backs of high school players.
“My whole approach was to come in and take high school kids and high school kids only,” Anderson said.
As the 2014 season played out, though, ASU struggled to field deep lines on either side of the ball and faced glaring holes in the secondary. So Anderson changed his plan and sent a handful of assistant coaches on the road to junior colleges in Mississippi, Kansas and New Mexico.
The group that Brian Early, Luke Paschall and Anthony Tucker brought back has helped transform both lines and ASU’s secondary and has vaulted the Red Wolves ( 5- 3, 4- 0) to the top of the Sun Belt Conference standings.
“It’s night and day,” Early said.
If ASU’s 4- 0 Sun Belt start heading into Thursday’s game at Appalachian State ( 7- 1, 4- 0) can be boiled down to one decision, it could be Anderson’s choice to go into the junior college ranks last fall. ASU signed seven junior- college transfers in December, all of whom have started at least one game this season and four of whom will likely start Thursday.
The additions of defensive tackles Waylond Roberson and Jake Swalley, offensive linemen Joseph Bacchus and Brandon Berg, and safeties Cody Brown and Bo Sentimore have all been described as “hits” by Anderson. Defensive tackle Robert Mondie, a transfer from Alabama- Birmingham, and Chris Murray, a wide receiver who joined the team in August, have contributed, too.
“It may be the first time in my career that it’s happened,”
Anderson said of having so many good finds. “There’s always some unknowns. There’s no way to know all the answers, and you’re going to typically have some misses. I’d say we’re very fortunate.” Not this time for ASU. Roberson has started seven of ASU’s eight games, while Mondie has started six games. Swalley has started one game and has proven to be a capable backup. Brown has started every game and is tied for the team lead with three interceptions. Sentimore started the first two games before suffering a seasonending ankle injury.
Bacchus filled in for an injured Jemar Clark to start three games at left tackle and has started the past three at right tackle. Berg has started two games at center, filling in for injured starter Devin Mondie.
“I wouldn’t say we all expected
to do it together,” said Roberson, who leads ASU’s interior lineman with 21 tackles. “But, coming from junior college, you go some place that you think you’re going to play.”
Roberson’s inclusion in the group was almost by accident.
Early, ASU’s defensive line coach who recruits Kansas junior colleges, planned to take one interior defensive lineman and set his sights on Swalley, who was at Highland ( Kan.) Community College. At the time Swalley was
committed to Memphis. Early wasn’t sure if he could get Swalley to change his mind, so he began to recruit Roberson, too.
ASU ended up signing both.
“Blake said, ‘ Let’s figure out the numbers and find a way to take two,’ ” Early said. “We knew that Waylon would be everything that he is. I think you’re seeing the fruit of that now.”
Bacchus had no scholarship offers coming out of Southaven, Miss., in 2013, so he went to Itawamba ( Miss.)
Community College as a 230- pound offensive lineman. Two years later, Bacchus was 6- 5, 275 pounds and had scholarship offers from Ohio, South Florida, Georgia Southern and Louisiana- Lafayette.
He said he chose ASU because of its proximity, which allows his parents and girlfriend to make the trip for his games. He arrived in January and has had to learn the concepts on the fly.
“It’s starting to fall in line now,” Bacchus said. “I just try to be there for the team, whatever is best for us and can help the team win.”
Anderson said taking eight transfers likely won’t happen every year, but four or five is a possibility. If so, it’d be hard for any group to match the impact of this one.
“They’ve made us a better football team,” Anderson said. “We’ve got to be willing at any point to do what’s necessary to fill out the depth chart. I think we’ve just got to be really smart and versatile.”