ASU has high expectations for 2012

Little Rock, Ark - Hearts were broken when Hugh Freeze left for Oxford, but the excitement returned to Jonesboro when Gus Malzahn was hired.

Today at the Little Rock Touchdown Club we got a good look at the present and the future of the Arkansas State football program. 

"I just want to go in there and compete," said Pulaski Academy QB and Red Wolf commit Fredi Knighten.  "Coach Malzahn and Coach Lashlee have a great plan for the offense and where they want to take it.  I just want to go in and compete for a starting job somewhere

"We're never going to be satisfied, but it was a great start, said ASU junior QB Ryan Aplin of last season.  "It set a level.  The expectations are a lot higher than they've been."

The move to Malzahn won't be difficult for either player.  Knighten and Pulaski Academy flew down the field this season under Kevin Kelley, and Aplin put up eye-popping numbers in Freeze's system at ASU last year.  

"The Chick-fil-A bowl got me more excited, see what he(Malzahn) does on the field," said Aplin.  "It just brings more excitement to us as players and it makes off-season workouts more fun."

"Coach Malzahn is an offensive genius, he does crazy stuff and it works." said Knighten.  "Being able to say I came from Coach Kelley, who does crazy stuff and it works, it's great to say I went from one offensive genius to the next."

Knighten led the Bruins under center this season, but he says he's excited to learn from a talented veteran like Aplin.