Hail Mary Memories: Corey Leonard on A-State’s Turnaround

Rebuilding a college football program from decades of tough sledding to sustained respectability does not happen overnight. It requires a foundational culture shift, gritty leadership under pressure, and players willing to lay the groundwork long before the championship trophies arrive. With the 20th anniversary of one of the most iconic plays in Sun Belt Conference history approaching and A-State preparing to open the season at Memphis, there has never been a better time to examine how the Red Wolves built their winning identity. Former starting quarterback and 2022 Hall of Honor inductee Corey Leonard joins the show to break down his transition from being the last quarterback for the Indians to the first for the Red Wolves, while sharing what it took to put Arkansas State on the map.

We get into the raw X's and O's and the emotional highs behind some of the most unforgettable games in Arkansas State history. Corey walks us through the 2006 Army home opener, the chaotic physics of throwing a 70-yard Hail Mary to beat Memphis, silencing Kyle Field against Texas A&M in 2008, and pulling off a massive 31-6 halftime comeback against Memphis in 2007. Along the way, he highlights the impact of teammates like Tyrell Johnson, Patrick Higgins, and Levi Dejohnette. Corey also points to the unique coaching philosophy of Steve Roberts as the secret sauce behind their success, explaining how strict accountability and genuine care for players as men built the unity required to compete with college football's giants.

We also tackle the harder, grittier realities of a college football career, from intense quarterback battles in fall camp to the sting of mid-season adversity. Corey opens up about the emotional toll of his senior season injuries and the maturity it took to step aside and mentor a young Ryan Aplin in South Florida while the stadium was chanting for a change. You will walk away from this conversation with a powerful lesson on selflessness, locker room leadership, and why a program must work every single week to earn the respect and loyalty of a passionate fan base.

If you care about Arkansas State football history, authentic leadership, and the anatomy of massive gridiron upsets, you’ll get a lot from this. Make sure to subscribe to the channel, like this video, and share it with a fellow college football fan. What is your all-time favorite game or memory from the Corey Leonard era at A-State? Drop your story in the comments below!

@Arkansasstatemedianeetwork.com.

0:00 - The Steve Roberts Era and Changing A-State Culture
06:50 - The 2006 Memphis Hail Mary 20 Years Later
18:11 - The 2007 Memphis Comeback and Battling Texas
24:08 - Silencing Kyle Field Against Texas A&M
29:35 - Mentoring Ryan Aplin Through Adversity
34:15 - Raising Athletes and Why Jonesboro Still Feels Like Home

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:10

And hello again, everybody. Welcome to Saturdays in Jonesboro. This has really been a fun platform over the first eight episodes now, and uh a chance to kind of see Arkansas State and Arkansas State football from so many different angles. And one person I wanted to bring in from the start of this podcast is somebody that was one of my favorite players to watch in my 20 plus years here at Arkansas State. Uh, a guy that I really got to know extremely well uh during his time while he was at Arkansas State. He was our starting quarterback from 2006 to 2009, a three-time all-Sunbelt conference selection. And back in 2022, it was uh really cool to see him go into the A-State Hall of Honor. Talking about Corey Leonard, of course. How you doing, Corey? Good, good, Matt. Thanks for having me. Man, this is awesome to have you on. And, you know, I I I think uh there's so many places we can start here, but uh you were part of such an important time, I think, in the history of Arkansas State football. And uh I know a lot of people go back and they they remember that golden era from 2011 to 2019 with the nine straight winning seasons and nine straight bowl games and five conference championships, but that's something that didn't happen overnight. The groundwork had to be laid for that. And there was a stretch when Arkansas State, when they joined the FBS back in the early 90s, for the first decade or so, it was really tough sled. And it took a while to kind of get to respectability. And when Steve Roberts came to Arkansas State, that's when that respectability finally kind of came in for this program. And uh, I know that you were here as a redshirt freshman in 2005 for that team that finally broke through and won the Sunbelt Championship and went to the New Orleans Bowl. Um, you were uh redshirting that year and got to kind of witness that. But then from 2006 to 2009, those were some important years. And you could kind of tell back then that this program was kind of on the cusp of doing something big.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Yeah, I mean, I I think it's it's one where you look back and I think when when you look at the job that that Coach Roberts did, the thing that he really was successful with was probably changing the quality of player that they were recruiting, right? It was um those teams, even even in the 05 season, um getting into 06 and 07, they were just very close group of of young men, right? And that was something where um, you know, when when you think about the combination of things related to what makes a great team, what makes momentum, what creates it. It's it's it's usually tied to the unity of a team and how close they are. Those teams were together off campus, those teams were together on the summers. Um and you could definitely sense that things were building momentum and and the community was was always really supportive. I mean, coming from where I did in South Louisiana, I knew nothing about Jonesboro. Um, and and by the time I left, um, it was like a second home to me, very, very close with a lot of the families and people and community leaders. And that's just a different dynamic than I think at times through the history of ASU when there were players there and yeah, they were there to play football. But, you know, in that time period, those players, they were part of the community and the neighborhoods, and um, it was just a it was a really, really cool experience to be involved with for someone that had really never even been in the state of Arkansas.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

You were a redshirt freshman in 2006. That's when you became the quarterback for the then Indians. Uh, by the way, you were the last quarterback for the Indians and the first ever quarterback for the Red Wolves. That's pretty neat to talk about. But back in 2006, that was a fun season. And we'll get to some particular games, but it started off with Army, and that was a home game where I know a lot of people were excited coming off the conference championship the year before. And uh I know, you know, we had a great crowd that night for the Army game, and it ended with a win and a lot of the students going on to the field and tearing down the goalpost, and it was a big celebration afterwards. But what do you remember about that night?

SPEAKER_00 5:02

You know, I I remember one being a little bit nervous about playing playing them because, you know, we were in West Point the year before, and and which was such a cool experience. I mean, that's just a beautiful campus. Um, but the thing you learn about Army and really any of the armed forces teams that you play is they are tough. Um, and they're just relentless, right? You it may not be the same talent caliber as other teams that you'd face in the SEC or other conferences, but but they're fundamentally sound and they just don't make them any mistakes. And so having that as a home opener in front of a home crowd coming off that that prior season, you you know it's kind of gonna be a dogfight. And you know, and on the personal side, Travis and I had been battling for the starting quarterback position kind of all fall. And so we knew going into Travis, do you hit that that we were going to be going back and forth in the game. I was gonna get some series, and he was gonna get some series. And as a quarterback, you hate that because it's really hard to get into a rhythm. But respecting the process, um, you know, we we knew that that was the the path we were gonna head down. So you had all this built-up excitement. You had um, you know, the the fan base that was excited for the game. It was a big home game in Jonesboro, but then you overlay that into the personal side where you're just trying to become the starter um and and you know, do well by your teammates and lead to a win. We ended up getting the win. Um, then the field rule uh post come down. I think I saw a few of the pieces at some of the fraternity houses later that that uh that that weekend, and and that was just kind of the the first kickoff to a number of kind of really positive and emotional events over the next couple of years, but it all started really from that momentum coming off that game.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

Another game that kind of lives in Arkansas State history came later in that 2006 season, and it's neat to talk about this, and I can't believe we're talking about the 20th anniversary of the Hail Mary that you threw to beat Memphis. This is October 14th of 2006, and you're able to win the game 26-23. And and I want to talk about the Hail Mary, but leading up to that, it was a really interesting game, and I I want to get your thoughts on what you remember about that game before the Hail Mary, because your team had a nice lead early on, but Memphis came back to take the lead late. It wasn't looking very good down the stretch.

SPEAKER_00 7:41

That was a tough one. It's a great way of describing it. I think we came into that game really confident. Um, you know, the the one thing that Nick Noche, who was the quarterback before me, that the quarterback the team in the New Orleans Bowl and Lafayette had told me. He said, look, you know, just don't lose to Memphis. He said, You could you could lose every game on the on the schedule. Just don't lose to Memphis. Um, so it was built up. We all knew it as players. We had a lot of players that were from Memphis and the surrounding areas. So that that was a week where you needed no motivation. And we felt like for the most part, we had the right team. We were playing at a high level in that game. But you know, when you're the away team, one or two things don't go your way, one turnover, one fumble, and all of a sudden the pressure is immediately on you. Um, and so it was it was tough because you were riding this emotional high for call it three quarters, and then all of a sudden it all kind of unwinded on you pretty quickly. Um, the the last series that led to that Hail Mary was kind of chaotic too. I mean, I lost the cleat, ended up having to play a play a play without a cleat, and I got Reggie that's grabbing the cleat and throwing it at me, telling me to put it on my foot. Um, all that led into the situation of the Hail Mary. And, you know, at the time, Coach Roos, uh, who was the offensive coordinator for for that team, um, who was pretty, you know, he's a great guy, but he's pretty intense, especially on game days. And, you know, I can just remember him coming to me and he was like, just get get the ball there. Like, do not leave this short. Um, and for those of you that have thrown football, um, you know, throwing a football without pads on is one thing. When you're trying to launch at, you know, 65, 70 yards with pads, you're sweating, the helmet, you know, fourth quarter, you know, any any missed throw can can change your ball's trajectory for about 10 yards when you're trying to throw that that long. And so, you know, you're just hoping like I but I can't screw this up. Um, and then just you know, you hope and pray that it it ends up in the right spot.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Yeah. So the play itself is something that, you know, I don't think any Arkansas State fan that was there or has watched any of the replays that have been shown time and time again will ever forget. But you know, in that moment, you're sitting at your own 47-yard line, and and I remember, you know, just watching you trying to buy as much time as you possibly could before releasing that ball. And if you go back and you watch it, you threw that ball nearly 70 yards in the air to get it to Patrick Higgins, who's the one who caught the Hail Mary. But that's a play that you guys practiced. I mean, you practiced that Hail Mary, and I know that that you felt confident, at least to be able to get the ball there, even though it was a very long throw.

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Yeah, I mean, you look, you you know your arm, right? You know what your skill sets are. So you you know, I I was fortunate to be able to know that I could get the ball there. And it was more just about how do I buy enough time to let them get down there in position. And for it for the average fan that doesn't know, we do practice that. And and the wide receivers, they're meant to make a diamond, right? So you're you're you're meant to have a front receiver, two side receivers, and a receiver in the back. And the idea is is the receiver in the back never actually attempts to go catch the ball. It's it's either if the ball is short, the front guy tries to catch it if he's in the end zone. If he's not, he's meant to just tip it up. And then one of the three receivers beside, you know, behind him are supposed to catch the ball. Um, now fortunately, Patrick was, you know, well, we call it him PT. PT was on the side, he's one of the side receivers, and the ball went far enough. But if you look back at the old videos, um there was someone behind him, right? And that that guy is there waiting for a tip if it happens. And so we do practice it. We know what we're trying to kind of execute on. But the first step is the backside tackle is the most important one because he's meant to kind of overset to the outside to make this defensive end naturally come inside. The running back knows that this is happening, is there to kind of wash him back inside. And then I'm meant to buy a lot of time outside. If that DN goes outside wide, it you never really get the time to let them get there. So it it actually you know brings in a number of players to execute well to make those uh those situations come to fruition. So it was it was you know really, really uh a good experience to you know be involved with that and see everybody execute it well.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Yeah, and it's a play that continues to be talked about 20 years later. And I I don't know if everybody remembers right after. I mean, there was a long uh review, and it it just seemed like forever before they finally confirmed the touchdown. But it was it was such a big celebration, and I remember Coach Roberts said, I I went, I mean, he talked about how he went crazy coming out to celebrate on the field. But what do you remember about the celebration uh after you realized that Patrick Higgins caught that pass?

SPEAKER_00 12:58

You know, that there's two people that uh really probably three people that I remember seeing in all the chaos. And it was Chris Ely, who was a running back for us, who was really kind of a uh a senior leader, right? A steward on that team personality-wise. And he was, you know, well respected. I remember him, my roommate at the time, um, Anthony Jackson, which was one of our offensive linemen, and then you know, a good friend of both of ours, Evan Vandola, that played safety. That was a great player at ASU. Those guys, you know, getting out to the field, and everyone was so excited. And so you're you're you're assuming it went well, but everyone was so sweaty. If you remember, it's like a midday game, it's hot, and you know, it's just like the biggest, biggest people you've ever seen, they're all hugging you and wiping sweat, and you can't see, and you're blinded. And so you're just you're trying to celebrate, but it was uh it was just a chaotic moment, and then this thing settled down. I'm looking for my parents and the stands and um trying to find them as well. And so it was just uh it was so a fun, fun experience to go through, especially with it being tied to Memphis and being at their stage.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

You know, it's been neat seeing Steve Roberts, you know, it seems like every single year anymore, he's back for our Hall of Honor banquet. And I know he was there for years and for the last several seasons, as we see more and more of players that he brought to Arkansas State go into that special club. And I know that you guys had a very special relationship and you respected him so much as a coach, but I always love to hear you talk about just how Coach Roberts made you a better human being and uh has helped you become the father and the husband that you are now. And you know, it's it's really cool to hear those stories of somebody like that, a head coach making such a significant impact on somebody as an adult.

SPEAKER_00 15:03

Well, the the the thing about the thing about Coach Roberts and and what you saw with Coach Roberts, whether you heard him in an interview or whether you had a conversation with him, like that, that was genuinely coach Roberts. There was no there was no presentation of a different version of him that we saw behind closed doors and to what you saw in public. I mean, he was he was a uh a coach and a figure that had a very high expectation for the quality of of men you were. He used to kind of start the the team meetings with you know referring to us as men and and speaking to us about you know what it meant to be a man and what it meant to kind of hold yourself to a certain standard. Um and I always appreciated that because he didn't he didn't let things you know go. He didn't, you know, prioritize certain players because they were better, if they didn't uphold that standard. It was very consistently he had an expectation for who we were as human beings. And and you know, I think I told the story before, my senior year was it was a really trip, you know, kind of tough season, right? Where we come out, we were favored, we had so many great players um coming back, and and we got hit with a number of injuries early on in the season. Um Ryan Applin made made his introduction into ASU at the end of that season. Um, so a lot of positives came after, but for the guys that had been there, that was a really tough season. And I remember after the the FAU game, um, we're down in Florida, and Reggie and I had both um been benched to bring on the younger players, right? We were at a point in the season where the coaches, rightfully so, had to kind of see what they had for the next season. And I remember as a as a kid, though, you're just so mad, right? You're like, that this is my time. And and he came to both of us in the front of the team bus and he kind of broke down emotionally with us and and and almost apologized, right, for the experience. And I remember it still to this day, I have so much respect for that because in the moment that he was making the right decision for the team in the university and the program, he also just had two, you know, 20-year-old kids in front of him that had given most of their lives to a sport and he knew what it mattered. And for him to come through and just genuinely be in that moment with us with frustration, like you don't see that anymore, right? He everyone's got too much pride, there's too much presentation, and in that moment, he was just almost a real father figure. And it's it's hard to put into words how important that was for me at that time in my life. Uh, but it's just always something I'll remember.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Yeah, it's um uh it's a big part of your story, and and obviously it helped uh you know shape you as the man that that you are now, but I I still want to go back because uh you know you're tied into some of the great moments in Arkansas State football history, not just that 2006 game against Memphis, but the 2007 game. And I know people get caught up in talking about the Hail Mary in 06, but in 2007, uh one of my favorite games that I've ever called during my time at Arkansas State was that home game against Memphis, the comeback. You're down 31 to 6 at halftime, and then you come all the way back and win at 35-31. And I know you and I have talked about it before, and you've made the comment that you you you really think more finely of that game, the 2007 win and the comeback and what you guys were able to do there. And the other thing you remember about that is just the electric atmosphere at the stadium that night. It was uh one that I know neither one of us will ever forget.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

Yeah, I mean, it it's my it's my favorite game in my entire career at ASU. And um, you know, leading up to it, it's if you go back and watch that game, and I've watched I've watched the highlights of the game a few times over the last, you know, call it, you know, 15, 20 years, my with my kids and stuff, and we had so many things that went wrong in the first half, and it was such a built-up game. Campus was was was crazy, you know, getting to the stadium was crazy that that for that weekend. Um, so everyone is on a high, and all of a sudden you look up and you're down, you know, huge at halftime. And I just remember uh Tyrell Johnson, who was uh you know second round draft pick, was you know, Mr. kind of everything at ASU defensively, he and Kayan Burns came up to me at halftime and they was like, they won't score another point. Just make sure you score more than you know, more than we need. And and for two guys like that, but again, both those guys are very intense players. And as a as a younger QB, only being a sophomore, you're just like, all right, well, let's go. Um, and and once once Kevin Jones, who we used to call KT, once he returned the punt and you got a little bit of momentum in that second half, all of a sudden, that version of that ASU team with that roster, I don't know if I ever saw us clicking on all cylinders um the way we did in that second half. And and it was just you could feel the momentum and the pressure building in in the stadium. And when we finally hit kind of the swing route um to Preston, who was one of our running backs, um, and that was after Levi. So Memphis was a big man-to-man and they blitzed a lot. Levi DeJanette was one of the best single, you know, one-on-one receivers on the outside that I played with. As soon as Levi had beat him for the deep throw, going back into the field house on the right side for a touchdown, we knew we were there. It was really just how are we going to score this last touchdown? Um, that that was hands down the greatest game with the greatest teammates I'd ever been involved with.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

Oh, it was incredible. And there were several games during that particular season that were very memorable. I mean, the team got off to a great start, and that includes the losses because you played Tennessee very tough at their place, but going all the way back to week one, I think a lot of people remember the Texas game and taking them down to the wire. And, you know, there was uh a call that the Big 12 later apologized for on uh an onside kick late in the game that would have given you the football in Texas territory with just over a minute to play when you're down just one score. And uh I know you got to think, you know, from time to time, just what what would have happened if you would have had a chance to get the ball back in that situation. But uh I just remember the kind of effort that. That uh you guys had against Colt McCoy and that Longhorn team that particular day in Austin and the complimentary things that Mac Brown had to say about you in particular and and guys like Ty Tyrell Johnson and uh you know, just the whole effort that day was uh was one that I know you had to be very proud of.

SPEAKER_00 22:24

It was. I mean, if if we look back and we've had this conversation a few times, some of the old some of the old teammates have over the years, is that team was one or two plays away from kind of being you know a boise state type of of opportunity, right? We played Tennessee, scored more points against Tennessee than anyone else did outside of their SEC game. Um, and one of their their you know midseason opponents, you know, you took Texas down to the end and and you know, as much as as many good plays as I feel like we made. I also threw a you know second half pick in a drop DN situation that put us in that position. But do I think that if we would have gotten that ball back, they could have stopped us? Absolutely not. Um they just didn't have the scheme to do it. We had kind of we hadn't moved the ball all game the way that we wanted to. It was more of just executing once we got in the red zone. Um, and so you know, again, if they make the right call, do we run it down and and put up points and you know, shock the football world and that changes the trajectory even more? Yeah, I mean, as a player, you have the utmost conviction that that would have happened and the team was playing at a high level. Um, so you know, that there there were some big momentum games that year, even that amounted in losses that we look back and say, it was were those the games that brought us the confidence to go into Iowa, to go into Texas AM, right? That were kind of a part of that momentum and that experience base that that core, but that that core four or five years, we ended up playing pretty well against a lot of big schools. Um, I'd say a lot of it started really, really off those early years.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

And you mentioned the Texas AM game going in there the following year. That was the opening game of the 2008 season, and you were able to kind of shock the football world that day and win that game 18 to 14. And I just remembered the silence at Kyle Field that night. And you know, one of the cool things about you now is you know you're living in Houston. And I know you get to remind those Aggie fans a lot about what happened that night back in 2008.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

Yeah, I mean, look, I had a lot of friends uh that were on that AM team that that still reside, you know, in this area. I've got um my son's got teammates on his team, my youngest, whose whose dads were were offensive linemen on that team, right? They were at they were on play, we were playing against each other. So um living in Houston now for for over 10 years has there's a lot of Agnes fans down here. A lot of people were at that game. Um, so it it is an enjoyable moment when you live in this area to kind of talk through that. And um, you know, look, that was a really, really talented Texas AM team. If you look at, you know, where a lot of those players went who was in the Heisman contention years after, like that was no slack um AM team. There was a lot of talented players, but again, just the night where we had a better scheme, we, you know, we had a a better plan to approach them and we had the patience and and kind of in all facets of the game, um, you know, Rocco was huge on field goals that night. Uh the defense obviously was huge um as well. And and remember plays like with Ben Owens and um a few of those guys that had big kind of changing um momentum changing, right? I know Marcus Brown had a big kind of deflection up the middle that that killed some momentum. So um that was a game where we just had a better plan than they did, and they never adjusted. And, you know, you look back and say, you know, if they would have approached it the way Alabama did when we played them, Alabama had a scheme for the entirety of the season, and two plays into the game, they were like, Yep, we're not gonna do that. And they flipped the entire defense. So it just, you know, different coaching styles, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 26:16

I remember the start of that season, and it it was so fun. You you beat AM, and obviously everybody's on top of the world, but then you go out and score 83 points in week two and beat Texas Southern, even though I think you only ran what three plays, three different plays in the second half, they just never were able to stop you. And then you you had that incredible atmosphere in week three in that game against Southern Myths at home. And what I remember is, and you still see it to this day, is uh when when there's a product to be excited about, when there's a team that has a buy-in like that that can excite the fans, this is a fan base that is ready to explode and and get excited about Arkansas State football. We saw it at the beginning of that 2008 season.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

Yeah, and look, and I think people have to, I know ASU over the years gets a lot of critiquing, and I've I've seen little clips from different people over the years around the fan base, but look, you've got to earn the fan base, right? It's not it's not given to you, right? Like the the the community itself uh of Jonesboro and the surrounding areas, they've got a great fan base, they've got great supporters, but you have to earn people's time and you have to earn people's experience, right? Give them something to be excited about. It doesn't always have to be, you know, a 10, 11 win season, but give them a team and give them players that that build the relationships to to create that environment, right? Uh to create those experiences. And if you do it, my experience is they absolutely will come and they'll be there and they'll support you and they'll travel with you and and um it's a great experience. But if you just if you I think if you have the mindset, and I think college football is a little bit like this, right? You got to be reality, be realistic about where you're at. If you think just because you're there that that, you know, and you don't have to do anything, and all of a sudden you get this undying commitment from, you know, even the fans that come in sporadically, it's just again, it's an entertainment-based business, right? Like this is you're there to create something for people to be excited about. And and in my experience, when you had a good team and the teams were were, you know, kind of looking at momentum, I'm sure Applin would say the same thing, right, when they were there. If you give people something to be excited about, they come. And and and there's never been inconsistency in that with ASU.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

And you mentioned Ryan Applin, you were able to kind of help him get his start at Arkansas State. And you mentioned earlier, you know, at the end of that 2009 season is when he got his first opportunity. And I know that's not the timing that you or anybody else really had in mind, but the way you handled it, I I've always admired the way you handled that whole situation because uh you stayed a mentor to him. And I know even after you left Arkansas State, you were able to uh kind of be a sounding board for App. And of course, he went on to have an incredible career as well.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Yeah, I mean, the the first thing about Ryan, right, that anybody would tell you is he's just he's just one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, right? He's just a great human being. Um and and he's been that way since since I met him. He was that way when he came in. Um, you could I I used to joke with him, though, he is the most unathletic, athletic person I've ever met in my life. Like it's he is he is just uniquely set up in the in his skill set. Um, but he's just a great football player. And and you could see it early on. He would he would ask questions and and do the extra work that the other young QBs weren't asking and doing, and you could tell what was coming. Um and and so I became just a huge fan, right? Like there's the competitive side of it, and and you've had my you know, you've had a career yourself, but if you become, I think, you know, if you step back and say, what is all of it really for? It's it's the relationships and the experiences. And um I think you know, Coach Roberts and those guys made the absolute right call in a tough situation. I think Applin, it was tough for him. I mean, look, we were down in South Florida where people were chanting to to you know for for Coach Roberts to pull him and and Preston at the time out of the game and and put you know uh Reggie and I back in the game. And there's not many fans in South Florida, so you could hear very clearly what was being said. Um and that's tough. That's tough for young guys that are, you know, 18, 19 in their first experience and being excited to get thrown into that situation and to handle it. And then if you look at those careers, especially Ryan's after, you know, who he was as a man, as a leader, as a football player, who he was in the community. Um again, just could not be more proud of who he was, the way he handled it. And look, he deserved every aspect of what that career was and the teams that played. And that was a great run with a great group of players for a long time.

SPEAKER_01 31:36

And I know you still pay attention now, and you want Arkansas State football to succeed. And there was a little bit of a lull there, but Coach Jones has kind of rebuilt this thing up to a place where you know we've seen A-state football go to three straight bowl games now, and they've won the last couple of them and starting to pick up a little bit of momentum again. I I'm sure you followed along with that, right?

SPEAKER_00 32:04

Yeah. I mean, you know, you you you you don't stop following it, right? You uh as this ex-player, as someone that's tied into this, does a lot of relationships in the community. Um, you watch through it. And and the one thing that you could you at least that I've I've observed over the last few years is is there's been no shortage of talent at at ASU at times, right? You can tie it's coming in at different phases. I've had some great players, some great skill players, good quarterback, obviously, over the last few years. Um the thing I the thing I've been looking for is is I I want to see the the the roster buildup that matches the energy that Coach Jones has. If you look at him on the sideline and the way that he coaches and that that kind of aggression, the best teams somewhat mimic their coach, right? Like it there's an alignment there of the way that they want to play the game. Um, and as there's kind of the different seasons go on, I I I like Coach a lot. You know, I think he's he's an absolute you know great hire for ASU. I want to see the players bring bring that, right? They tie it tie into what that energy is that your coach brings and that aggression and the way that he has a passion on the sidelines, go after it uh in that lens. I think it's harder for players um now than it was when I played, just based on you know the transfer portal and the NIL. You didn't have all those options, so like you had to be dedicated um by default. Not saying players when I play would have treated it any different any differently than they do now, because that's probably a lie too. Um, but you definitely keep up and and uh you know excited to kind of see you know how how these how hopefully this this year plays out and and some of the talent develops they've been able to attract.

SPEAKER_01 33:50

And pretty fitting that in the 20-year anniversary of the Hail Mary at Memphis, that you know, the Red Wolves actually open up the season at Memphis. So uh pretty cool that A-State will open up uh the season there at the Liberty Bowl and hopefully uh get another win 20 years later. Um you you mentioned uh living in Houston, and uh I know you got a big family that you're extremely proud of. Tell us about your family and what everybody's up to.

SPEAKER_00 34:22

Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, that's it's you and I were talking, you know, offline before we started this, but you know, my most of my schedule real you know revolves around four kids and um you know, been in Houston for you know 10 plus years um here. But you know, I've got an oldest uh who's 14 that's been down at IMG for for two years. He plays baseball at IMG Academy, and um that's been as a as an ex-athlete as well, that's been a really cool experience as a dad. Um, he's obviously better than I was. Uh, I couldn't have gotten gotten IMG, so I'm just a spectator at this point. Um, but but he's uh he's really it's been great to kind of see him. I've got two daughters, twins, that are, you know, everything from competitive cheer to competitive volleyball. And I will go on record to say for all the parents that have ever been involved with the competitive cheer, I have all the respect in the world for you because it is the craziest environment I had ever seen across any sport. Um, and yeah, it's just been a ton of fun. And then, you know, there I've got a nine-year-old who is probably the most unique out of my kids that he he loves everything, right? So he's he is a you know, a fisherman, a hunter, a baseball player. And so he's probably my easiest kid to kind of you know be involved with, but um, but been really fortunate with with um our kids and and their health and their activities and just being able to experience that with them. And um just it does remind you though how how old you get, how quickly, and how no matter what I've told my kids I experienced, and you would think at times things that that could, you know, could be relating, they tell me I know nothing. And you know, that's all that's irrelevant now, Dad. And all you know, you you're old and everything's changed. So I said, okay.

SPEAKER_01 36:07

And uh I'll kind of get you out of here with this as we wrap it up. I mean, I I know there's a lot of memories. There, there's a lot of people in the community that that you grew very close to during your time here, and you think of Jonesboro, Jonesboro and Arkansas State extremely finely. But yeah, what is it you think about most when you think about your time here at Arkansas State?

SPEAKER_00 36:33

It's a great question, Matt. Um it's so hard to it's so hard to explain to people that that haven't been to Jonesboro or that weren't there during the years I was, just the uniqueness of the community. And I look back into not just the team and not just the coaching staff, not just the university, but you know, I remember, you know, going to Heavenly Ham and Tom was always there to take care of us, whose son, you know, played baseball at ASU. I remember how close, you know, Jeremy and Spencer Gwen and Andy Shatley, and Andy Shatley, who was a PT, who's rehabbed me, he's rehabbed my son, but he was also an ex-ASU football player and quarterback and base, you know, baseball player at the professional level. And um, you know, I had people around me, um, like, you know, uh Roger Williams, who was in that area who were close. I mean, there was just so many great people and families and mentors that for as a young kid coming from from Louisiana, it it made it home, and it made it home very quick. And, you know, I didn't leave Jonesboro for years, even after I got done playing, um, because it felt like home. And and when you have all that and you have that level of confidence and comfort with where you're living and who you're around, everything else becomes easier. Um, and and that's just I've lived in a lot of places now, and and it's I've never had something that I can, you know, kind of replicate towards that. Uh, but it was just such a such an amazing period of time. Great people in the community, great families. Um, I'm I miss it all the time.

SPEAKER_01 38:22

Well, Corey, this has been fun. It's it's always fun to catch up with you. You and I have had many, many conversations over the years, and uh just uh thank the world of you, man, and congratulations on all your success after the after football. And uh, can't wait to see you back in Jonesboro. Hopefully sometime soon.

SPEAKER_00 38:42

Yeah, absolutely. I plan I plan to get there this season for at least one or two of the games. So we'll we'll we'll uh definitely have some time to catch up. Appreciate you having me on that.

SPEAKER_01 38:51

Uh we always appreciate you tuning in to Saturdays in Jonesboro. Make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcast and check out all of our podcasts on the Arkansas State Media Network.