Reddies Football 2023 Fall Camp Preview

By DAVID SALLEY | HSU Sports Network

Henderson State returns to the gridiron next week as the Reddies report for fall camp in preparation for the 2023 season.

Report day for HSU is on Sunday, Aug. 6 and fall practice will officially begin on Monday. The Reddies will have 10 practices and two scrimmages prior to the start of school on Tuesday, Aug. 22. Henderson opens the season on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. when it hosts East Central at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium and GeoSurfaces Field.

The two fall scrimmages, which take place on Saturday, Aug. 12 and Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10 a.m., are free and open to the public.

Three-time Great American Conference champion Henderson State, who is coming off of an eight-win season, was picked third in the GAC Preseason Poll on Tuesday and returns 16 of 22 starters from last fall. The Reddies are in search of their first conference title since 2015.

QUARTERBACK
The incumbent starter is 2022 GAC Freshman of the Year Andrew Edwards (Bentonville HS), who returns after a breakout campaign last fall. Edwards opened the year as the backup and shined when forced into action, ultimately starting nine games and throwing for 2137 yards, 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He led the GAC in passer rating (168.91) and will begin 2023 as one of the top returning signal-callers in the league. Behind him, redshirt sophomore Zach Baker, as well as freshmen Jordan Allen and Clifton Cooper, will compete for the No. 2 and No. 3 jobs.

RUNNING BACK
Another breakout returner from last season, Second Team All-Region running back Korien Burrell will lead the Reddies’ backfield after posting the first 1000-yard rushing season by a Henderson State player since 2015. Burrell started all 11 games and rushed for 1064 yards and 14 touchdowns, including a school record five scores on the ground in the win over SNU. Also back for Henderson State are Jeremiah Davis, who ran for 418 yards as a redshirt freshman last fall, as well as Fredrick O’Donald(North Little Rock HS), who is perhaps the most physically imposing back on the roster despite being hampered by injuries in 2022.

WIDE RECEIVER
The biggest unknown on offense comes with the pass catchers, where new faces will need to set up to replace several key weapons. All-American Xavier Malone, who accounted for 1382 yards and 15 touchdowns, is now with the Atlanta Falcons, and Matt Childers, who caught 25 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns, has graduated. Chris Hatzis, who missed the final seven games of 2022 due to injury, enters the fall as the most-seasoned veteran receiver after putting up 207 yards and a touchdown in just four games last year. Jody Easter(McGhee HS) showed flashes as a true freshman on special teams and has a chance to make a larger impact on offense in 2023. Fellow veteran junior Jalen Abraham also figures to be in line for more playing time after catching four passes for 77 yards last fall.

OFFENSIVE LINE
One of the more veterans offensive line units in the GAC will suit up for the Reddies this fall, as four starters return with a combined 98 career games played between them. Two 2022 Second Team All-GAC selections lead the way in center Conner Justus(Greene County Tech HS) and guard Blaise Smith(Bryant HS). Each started every game last season, with Smith starting 22-straight games dating back to the 2021 campaign. Alongside them are guard Robert Dunham(Nashville HS), who has appeared in 31 career games, and tackle Brandon Bishop(Central Arkansas Christian HS), who started every contest at left tackle in 2022 as a true sophomore. Also in the mix to play are junior Derek Carter, junior Beau Stevenson(Conway Christian HS), and junior Quintlyn Rogers(Little Rock Central HS). Last season, HSU’s offensive line paved the way for a unit that averaged 33 points per game, 208.5 yards per game on the ground and 235.3 yards per game through the air. 

TIGHT END 
Gone are both Mike Benning and Ayden Shurley, who played the majority of snaps for the Reddies at tight end in each of the last two seasons. Looking to replace their production are junior veteran Cameron Galliher, who has been hampered by injuries throughout his career but has consistently been in the mix at the position, and redshirt freshman Cayden Davis, who won the Super Reddie award as the top all-around performer in the weight room during the spring and possesses great size and receiving ability. The tight end position has consistently produced for HSU over the last several years, with tight ends accounting for a combined 1018 yards and 11 touchdowns since the 2019 season.

DEFENSIVE LINE
The Reddies enter 2023 with confidence about multiple position groups, but perhaps none so much as the defensive front, which should be among the best in the GAC this fall. Henderson returns all four starters and multiple key second-stringers from a unit that compiled a league-high 24 sacks in 11 regular season contests last year and also finished second in the conference in rush defense (140.5 yards allowed per game). 
Leading the group on the interior are veteran defensive tackles Shaq’ke Robinson(Jacksonville HS) and Second Team All-GAC selection Denzel Walter(El Dorado HS). Robinson, who suffered a season-ending injury in week seven against Harding, was leading the GAC in sacks before he went down, while Walter, a three-year starter, has played in 34 career games and made 14 tackles for loss in his three seasons. On the edges, the Reddies boast two of the top young pass rushers in the league in Second Team All-GAC sophomore Gary Lewis (Fordyce HS) and two-time 2022 GAC Player of the Week sophomore Catrell Wallace(Bryant HS). Lewis burst onto the scene to earn All-GAC honors as a freshman last season with 39 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. Also returning are Trenton Moore, Dylan Ndambuki, Tyler Strain and Javante Sims, who each played in multiple games last year as rotational pieces on the defensive front.

LINEBACKER
Further increasing the confidence in the front-seven is a deep linebacker group that brings back two starters from 2022 while also adding several key transfers who figure to see the field early this fall. Honorable Mention All-GAC selection junior Jakob Neel(Bryant HS) returns after leading the team with 63 tackles last season and compiling 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Joining him is sophomore Jordan Owens(North Little Rock HS), who had a strong freshman season in 2022 where he racked up 38 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss despite missing two games due to injury. Newcomers Fred Lewis from Southwest Mississippi Community College and Zach Dixon from Division II West Liberty will both see the field as well and give the Reddies a deep and talented two-deep at the position. Also in the mix are sophomore Keegan Stinespring (Bentonville HS) and junior AJ Zarate.

SECONDARY
The biggest question mark for Henderson State in 2023 likely comes in the defensive backfield, where the Reddies will look to shore up a unit that struggled at times last season. HSU finished 12th in the GAC in pass defense, surrendering 245 yards per game through the air, but does possess veterans who will look to take the next step after being thrown into the fire as underclassmen in 2022. Junior defensive back Tim Jennings returns after finishing as one of the leading tacklers on the team last fall with 49 tackles and three tackles for loss. Also back are sophomore corner Darrick Rose Jr.(Bryant HS), who had 32 tackles, eight pass breakups and a team-high three interceptions as a freshman, as well as 2021 All-GAC pick Cameron Thomas, who started every game last year despite battling injury all season. Senior safety Randarius Terry(Crossett HS) is one of the best athletes on the team, had a big spring in the weight room and looks set to compete for a starting role.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Henderson has pieces to replace in the kicking game as 2022 kicker, punter and kickoff specialist Tristan Heaton was lost to graduation, as was All-GAC long snapper Thomas Hathorn. Newcomers Axel Robertson and Kolby King will compete for the kicking and punting jobs, while UTEP transfer Conner Villalpando and freshman Max Johnston will both get looks at long snapper. In the return game, Easter (McGhee HS) will look to continue excelling after a terrific freshman season where he had 390 kick return yards, including a long return of 48 yards.