During the first two years of the Butch Jones Era, Red Wolves fans christened a name to their pain: Offensive Line. It was a inexperienced and porous lot that gained much exercise from helping the quarterback back to his feet. With the trench left unguarded, Arkansas State could not run, could not pass, could not convert on third down.

Jones knew what he wanted from an offensive linemen – and he provided examples from the portal; beef battleships like Mehki Butler, Robert Holmes, Jordan Rhodes and Jalen Cunningham. While these guys absorbed the hits, the young men on the team stood on the sideline and took notes. Four years later, the Arkansas State offensive line is among the finest in the Sun Belt.

Significant Departures: Hamilton Hall, Jalen Cunningham and Saidou Ba

Both Cunningham and Hall were seasoned Ole Miss hands added to provide experience and beef to last year’s much improved offensive line. Both men saw action their senior seasons, especially the 6’5″, 350-pound Cunningham, who was instrumental in the Red Wolves run-game resurgence.

Ba, a three-star talent out of Memphis included in the Class of 2022, entered the transfer portal during the off season. He is currently rostered with Tennessee State.

Significant Retentions: Jacob Bayer, Mekhi Butler, Makilan Thomas, Noah Smith, Elijah Zollicoffer, and Mason Myers

This could have been a longer subhead. Thanks to the Jones’ policy of aggressive high school recruiting, Red Wolves fans will see many players on the offensive line who they’ve watched mature for several seasons now. However, there is a caveat.

Center and all-SBC selection Jacob Bayer (ACL)(6’3″, 310-pounds) and left tackle Noah Smith (broken foot) (6’7″ 316-pounds) sat out the Spring Game. While both projected starters are said to be making rapid recoveries, it stands to reason that we’ll see plenty of action from their back-ups Mason Myers (6’4″ 293-pounds) and Elijah Zollicoffer (6’5″ 330-pounds).

In the meantime, both Makilan Thomas (6’3″ 345 pounds) and Mekhi Butler (6’3″ 320-pounds) are expected to make starts, serving as the anchors of an offensive line that has not been bigger or deeper in recent memory – or possibly ever.

Transfer Talents: EJ Ndoma-Ogar

EJ Mdoma-Ogar (Oklahoma/Missouri, 6’3″ 323-pounds) was a four-star talent out of Allen, TX with offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama and Arizona before signing with Oklahoma. A three-star transfer, Mdoma-Ogar saw playing time in his three years with Missouri, but he projects to be a more prolific body on Andy Kwon’s offensive line in 2024.

Big Guys to Watch: Walker Davis, Tristian Smith, Tobias Braun, Austin Woods, Cameron Ambrose

Austin Woods (6’5″ 302-pounds) has patiently endured a program of growth and discovery since landing in Jonesboro as a 3-star recruit in 2020. Having achieved the 300-pound threshold that Jones covets, Woods may see less time on special times (where he contributed mightily in 2023) and more time in the trenches.

Walker Davis (6’3″ 293-pounds), a three-star talent from Benton, AR, is a red shirt freshman who saw some action at center last year when Bayer got dinged. If Bayer is a no-go early in the season, Davis and Mason Meyers will be relied upon heavily. Same can be said for redshirt sophomore Cameron Ambrose (6’4″ 294-pounds), who saw action in 12 games last year and is on track to see more.

Tobia Braun (6’7″ 325-pounds) was among the OL crew that arrived from Ole Miss last season. Braun was once the 10th ranked offensive lineman in Germany where he lived before arriving to the U.S. as a high school junior. The Big German has a ton of size and potential. He saw action in just one game last year (the magic Stoney Brook game), but perhaps we’ll see more of Braun in 2024.

Tristian Smith (6’3″, 315-pounds) is a Crossett, AR guy who spent a year at Trinity Valley CC before joining the Red Wolves in 2022. He saw a small measure of action in 2023, but the redshirt junior looks to see more time this season.

Freshman to Watch: Royce Baucom

The Red Wolves welcomed four offensive lineman in the 2024 class, but the biggest (in terms of physical largeness) is Royce Baucom, a ready-sized 6’4″ 305-pound behemoth from Alabama. Baucom had offers from Sun Belt rivals Marshall, Georgia Southern and Georgia State, but he preferred the fit in Jonesboro.

Verdict

The Red Wolves have 20 offensive linemen on the roster – the majority of which have realtime experience despite only three being seniors. The mighty Phil Steele has Arkansas State boasting the third best offensive line in the Sun Belt (behind SBC West rivals Texas State and Louisiana) and the best center in the conference (Bayer, if healthy). The trench woes that plagued Butch Jones in Year 1 and 2 appear to be all but vanquished.

GRADE: A

IMAGES: Mine