Saturdays In Jonesboro

The transfer portal didn’t invent roster chaos. Former all-conference receiver Taylor Stockemer unpacks his journey to the A-State Hall of Honor amidst back-to-back coaching departures. Going from a pro-style scheme to backyard air-raid tactics requires a complete mental reset. Stockemer breaks down the operational friction of losing a coaching staff overnight while relying on player-led cohesiveness to win. He maps out the exact adjustments needed when shifting from a loose spread offense to...

Surviving fifty years in college football requires more than just knowing how to tape an ankle. Arkansas State’s veteran athletic trainer, Ron Carroll, hits his 600th consecutive game on the sidelines this weekend. He breaks down the massive shifts in sports medicine, from hauling daily ice chests to operating out of modern recovery facilities. Carroll details how staff keeps a program running when a locker room burns down or when head coaches cycle constantly. Healing athletes means demandin...

The 1986 Arkansas State football team set a school record with 12 wins, forging a legacy that continues to resonate 40 years later. Offensive guard Randy Barnhill shares the unvarnished reality of playing for the legendary Coach Larry Lacewell and what it took to reach the 1AAA National Championship. Barnhill dives into the grueling practices, the lack of modern amenities, and the sheer grit that defined their historic season. He compares the intense commitment of the 1986 squad to the challe...

A dead stadium is a death sentence for momentum. With the college football season knocking at the door, mastering the mechanics of live event production is what separates average game days from absolute chaos. Dr. Allegra Fischer, Brad Bobo, and Brandon Baxter join the podcast to break down the exact playbook Arkansas State University uses to engineer the fan experience at Centennial Bank Stadium. We get into the intense logistics of game ops, tracking everything from down-to-the-second half...

A program is only as resilient as the people who show up when the scoreboard gets ugly. With Arkansas State athletics currently trending upward across the board, it is the right time to examine the loyal foundation that carried the university through its leanest years. A-State superfans Mary Nell Masterson, Ken Stuart, and Van Wilhoite join the show to share their decades of unwavering support and firsthand game-day experiences. We sit down to explore the actual mechanics of long-term fandom....