Know The Foe: Arkansas State
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After beating UNLV last Saturday, Memphis returns to the Bluff City for its home opener against Arkansas State. While the Tigers played in week zero, this will be the Red Wolves’ first game of the season.
Like the Tigers last week, Arkansas State decided to not release a depth chart ahead of its first game of the year. Butch Jones enters his sixth season in Jonesboro, and he’s looking to take the Red Wolves to their fourth-straight bowl appearance.
This year will be different because Arkansas State brought in a ton of new pieces and lost several key players after last year. Quarterback Jalen Raynor, who threw for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns last year, transferred to Iowa State, while wide receiver Corey Rucker, who put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, graduated.
Arkansas State brought in three quarterbacks from Power Four programs, and while they have’t announced a starter, it looks like Texas transfer Trey Owens has the edge. Owens only appeared in one game for the Longhorns in 2024 and recorded 19 yards on two completions.
While they have a lot of new pieces, the Red Wolves return their top two leading rushers from last season. Junior Devin Spencer returns after leading the team with 559 yards and three touchdowns, while senior Kenyon Clay finished with 523 yards last year.
Arkansas State also brings back tow of their top three receivers from last season, and Chauncy Cobb should become WR1 after Rucker’s departure. As a redshirt freshman in 2024, he finished with four yards on one reception, but last season he made a huge jump and finished with 797 yards during his redshirt sophomore campaign.
Jones’ offensive line returns three starters from last season, and they will replace starters at left tackle and right tackle.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Red Wolves return only three starters from last season. All three returning starters are defensive backs, and two of them were top four tackles in the 2025 season.
Safety AG McGhee recorded 83 tackles, five pass deflections and an interception, while safety Brandon Barnes finished the year with 68 tackles, two deflections and an interception.
Last season, Arkansas State led the Sun Belt in sacks, but they don’t return any starters from that group. Ryan Reese returns after being a backup in 2025, and he could emerge as a leader on the defensive line.
Reese finished with 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks as a freshman and could be in for a breakout season as a sophomore.
The Tigers will host Arkansas State on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
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