Athlon Sports Predicts Arkansas State to Finish Fourth in Sun Belt West in 2025
Athlon Sports has released its 2025 Sun Belt Conference football predictions, forecasting a competitive season ahead and placing the Arkansas State Red Wolves fourth in the West Division. The Red Wolves are projected to finish behind Texas State, Louisiana, and South Alabama.
Despite the fourth-place projection, there’s a clear sense of optimism surrounding the Arkansas State program. Athlon points to a positive trajectory under head coach Butch Jones. After a rough 5-19 start to his tenure, Jones has led the Red Wolves to a 14-12 record over the past two seasons, including an 8-5 finish in 2024—his best year yet in Jonesboro. Arkansas State has also gone 9-7 in conference play since 2023.
“The overall trendline on this program is headed in the right direction,” Athlon notes, highlighting key upcoming home matchups against Texas State, Louisiana, and Georgia Southern as critical swing games that could determine the Red Wolves’ fate in the division race.
One of the program’s biggest strengths heading into the season is its offensive firepower. Quarterback Jaylen Raynor, who averaged 243.8 passing yards per game last season, returns as one of the Sun Belt’s top offensive threats. He’ll be joined by standout wide receiver Corey Rucker, who tallied 1,053 receiving yards in 2024, and a dependable group of running backs led by Ja’Quez Cross.
However, questions linger about the offensive line. Left tackle Noah Smith is the only returning starter up front, creating some uncertainty in the trenches as the team prepares for the fall.
Defensively, the Red Wolves are under new leadership with Griff McCarley taking over as defensive coordinator. Last season, Arkansas State’s defense struggled, allowing 31.5 points per game in conference play and finishing 133rd nationally in success rate. Only one of the team’s top 15 tacklers—defensive end Bryan Whitehead—returns for 2025. As a result, Jones and McCarley were aggressive in the transfer portal, bringing in multiple reinforcements, including edge rusher Javante Mackey, who returns to Arkansas State after a stint at Memphis.
While Athlon isn’t picking the Red Wolves to win the division, the analysis makes it clear that Arkansas State has the potential to contend for a spot in the Sun Belt title game—if they can shore up the offensive line and take a step forward defensively.
Elsewhere in the conference, Athlon Sports projects James Madison University (JMU) to win the Sun Belt in 2025.
You can read Athlon’s full Sun Belt predictions here.