JONESBORO (6/16/11) - Athlon Sports has named eight Arkansas State players, including five first-team selections, All-Sun Belt Conference in its annual preseason college football publication.
The Red Wolves eight total selections and five first-team choices both tied Florida International for the most in the league. North Texas, Troy and Middle Tennessee all placed six players on the squad, while Louisiana-Monroe had five, Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic four and Louisiana-Lafayette three.
Earning first team recognition for the Red Wolves were junior quarterback Ryan Aplin, senior center Tom Castilaw, senior defensive lineman Dorvus Woods, senior linebacker Demario Davis and senior corner Darron Edwards.
ASU's second-team selections included senior wide receiver Dwayne Frampton, senior defensive end Brandon Joiner and senior safety Kelcie McCray.
The publication's 2011 predicted order of finish in the Sun Belt Conference landed the Red Wolves at third behind first-place Troy and second-place Florida International. Athlon Sports also ranked each position unit on each team in the league with ASU receiving four No. 1 ratings, the most in the league. Earning the top unit spots for ASU were the quarterbacks, wide receivers/tight ends, linebackers and defensive backs.
ASU put together the Sun Belt Conference's No. 2 ranked 2011 recruiting class as well, according to the magazine. Incoming freshmen Artez Brown from Newport, Ark. and Kyle Coleman from Pine Bluff, Ark. ranked third and fourth, respectively, among the league's top-10 recruits listed.
First-year ASU head coach Hugh Freeze also received high praise from Athlon Sports, ranking No. 6 among 21 listed new NCAA FBS coaches in the magazine's "Coaching Carousel" section. The publication noted that Freeze is "an outstanding hire for Arkansas State."
Season tickets for the Red Wolves' 2011 campaign, which includes six home games, are on sale and can be ordered by contacting the ASU Box Office at 870-972-ASU1 or 1-888-ASU-FANS or by visiting AStateRedWolves.com. For more information, contact the ASU Marketing Department at 870-972-3880.
