Arkansas prospects central to Malzahn’s recruiting ground plan for Red Wolves

Gus Malzahn and his coaching staff didn't have all that much time to assemble their first coaching staff at Arkansas State compared to other schools.

From the day of his hire on Dec. 14 to National Signing Day last Wednesday, the first year head coach had 50 days to assemble his staff and give their best pitch to prospective Red Wolves.

"I don't know if I had any expectations," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "We hit the ground running so fast, you get thrown into it and you just go.

"My first day on the job I had my press conference here and I was in Little Rock seeing Fredi [Knighten] that night and I saw Dezmond [Stegall] that same night as well."

Malzahn worked so hard, that at his press conference on the eve of the GoDaddy.com Bowl on Jan. 7, he said he'd only spent three days in Jonesboro, enough time to familiarize himself with the driving route from his new home to the ASU football facility.

With the staff being on the road for much of the last two months, it helped having David Gunn, a 10-year veteran of the Arkansas State program, helping to keep recruits committed.

"Of course David Gunn gave us a little list of the guys and we just tried to scramble and figure out as much information as possible," Malzahn said.

"At the same time, the coaches that had connections, that's where we started and I told my staff that if it's close, we're going with an Arkansas guy and that will be our philosophy the whole time we're here."

That home state mentality paid off, with 14 new players being added to the ranks of Red Wolves that originate from the Natural State.

While the most high profile athlete is Michael Dyer (Little Rock) and his transfer from Auburn, ASU is now home to offensive linemen Jemar Clark (McCrory) and Kansas transfer Travis Bodenstein from Springdale, where Malzahn coached at both Shiloh Christian and Springdale High.

"He's got the ability to play at the next level past this if he works hard," Malzahn said of Clark,  who is ranked the sixth best player in the state by Rivals.com.

Bodenstein will sit out an year due to NCAA transfer rules.

Other Arkansas natives include Quanterio Heath and Maruis Walker of Rison, Colton Jackson (Ozark), Derek Keaton (Camden), Warren Leapheart (Morrilton), Darius Rosser (Marion), Dezmond Stegall (Searcy), DeKeathan Williams (West Helena), Austin Moreton (Fort Smith) and kicker Luke Ferguson who is walking on from Jonesboro High.

The biggest in-state recruit was quarterback Fredi Knigten from Little Rock.

"He was one of the priorities that we had as a staff when we first got here. We really felt that he was the key to this whole thing, Malzhan said.  "I've sat there and really seen what [Michigan quarterback] Denard Robinson can do and he can actually throw it better than Denard Robinson can."