During the Tuesday presser, Arkansas State head football coach Butch Jones was adamant that the Red Wolves Depth Chart presented earlier that day was a work in progress. Still plenty of guys proving themselves! In fact, according to Coach Jones, players that pay attention to the depth chart aren’t focused on the right things.

That might be true, but the depth chart is a document with weight. It’s really the first clue to fans as to who performed well during the off season and who we should watch. Some coaches play it cute with the two deep, but all that does is frustrate fans while doing little to thwart opposing teams. Just put out a depth chart, coaches. Everyone appreciates it.

What did Butch Jones’ first depth chart of the season tell us? Like he said, he doesn’t want us to chisel these names in stone, and history tells us that the #2 guy might really be the #1 guy. Still, the depth chart revealed some truths about the state of the Red Wolves.

Josh Flowers Beat Out Ethan Crawford for QB2

It wasn’t a stretch to imagine redshirt junior Ethan Crawford, who saw some solid playing time last year at Southern Miss, slotted into the backup position behind Jaylen Raynor. But it was highly touted 2024 recruit Josh Flowers who rated the assignment, who at 6’3″ 215 certainly has the look of a classic Butch Jones QB.

Chauncy Cobb Makes a Leap

The 5’6″ Cobb was a three-star recruit from the 2023 class known for his crazy speed. Now a redshirt sophomore, Cobb gets the starting nod over more tenured transfers like Jordan Smart (North Texas/Ole Miss), Jaylen Bonelli (Wagner) and Nana Burris (Stetson/FIU). Pairing Cobb’s quickness with Rucker’s reliability could make for a heck of receiving combo.

Demarcus Hendricks is Your Starting Defensive End

Byran Whitehead is the preseason Sun Belt First Team Defense defensive end, but it was redshirt senior and Texas A&M-Kingsville transfer Demarcus Hendricks who sees the #1 alongside his name. Hendricks totaled  15.0 TFL and 7.5 sacks last season, so he certainly understands the concept of productivity. Is Jones trying to light a fire under Whitehead? Or does defensive coordinator Griff McCarley have two elite defensive ends to play?

Javante Mackey is Back at Linebacker (Which is Cool)

If Cracker Barrel teaches us anything, it’s don’t mess with something that isn’t broken. As a redshirt freshman linebacker, Mackey was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Award (National Freshman of the Year) and named to The Athletic Freshman All-America team after ranking second on the team with 84 tackles. Butch Jones experimented with putting the big 6’1″ 245 athlete at defensive end, but now he’s listed alongside redshirt Kyle Taylor as an “OR” at middle linebacker. That’s probably the right move.

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