5 Best Arkansas State Red Wolves Football Players, Ranked

The Arkansas State football program was established in 1911. The program joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2001. 

Football betting on the Red Wolves’ college football odds is available all season long at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

Below, I’ll list the top five Red Wolves ever. 

5 Best Arkansas State Red Wolves Football Players, Ranked

Arkansas State Red Wolves All-Time Greatest Football Players

1. Ryan Aplin

Aplin played quarterback for Arkansas State from 2009 to 2012. 

He threw for 10,758 yards (most in program history). He also holds three of the top seven single-season marks, headlined by 3,588 yards in 2011. 

He tossed 67 touchdowns (second) and also ran in 31 additional touchdowns (fifth). 

He recorded 12,514 total yards over his career, which is the most in program history. 

Additionally, his 98 touchdowns are the most any Red Wolves player has scored. 

He was the Sun Belt Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012. 

2. Justice Hansen

Hansen played quarterback for Arkansas State from 2016 to 2018 after transferring to the school. He played at Oklahoma in 2014 and at Butler Community College in Kansas in 2015. 

In three seasons, he threw for 10,133 yards (second), including 3,967 in 2017 (most in a single season). 

He also holds the single-game passing yardage record with 520 in 2017 against Louisiana-Monroe. 

He had 83 passing touchdowns (first) and holds the top two single-season passing touchdown marks. He had 37 in 2017, which is the most. 

He was the Sun Belt Player of the Year, Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, and two-time first-team All-Sun Belt. 

3. J.D. McKissic

McKissic played running back in the NFL, but before that, he was primarily used as a receiver and kick returner in college. 

Over his college career, he had 47 carries and two touchdowns. 

However, he was excellent as a receiver. He caught 289 passes (first) for 2,826 yards (second) for 11 touchdowns. 

He holds the single-season and single-game receptions records with 103 and 15, respectively. 

McKissic was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, two-time first-team All-Sun Belt, and second-team All-Sun Belt. 

4. Layne Hatcher

Another signal-caller for the Red Wolves, Hatcher earned Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honours in 2019. 

Over his career, he had 7,427 passing yards (fourth) and 65 passing touchdowns (third). He finished with two fewer than Aplin despite playing one less season. 

Overall, he had 7,434 total yards (third) and his 67 touchdowns are tied for the second most in program history. 

5. Cleo Lemon

Lemon was also a quarterback at Arkansas State. 

He played there from 1997 to 2000. He had 7,706 passing yards (third), 48 passing touchdowns (fourth), 7,309 total yards (fourth), and 51 total touchdowns (seventh).