Kyle Shipp believes that Arkansas Tech University has the human capital on hand to turn a corner in the continued progress of its football program in 2024.
“I think we’re in a good spot,” said Shipp, who is beginning his fifth season as ATU head football coach. “We have a lot of guys returning from last year and we have a big senior class, especially compared to last year. We were able to add some good depth with our high school recruiting class and some transfers. As of right now, we feel pretty good about things. We have to stay healthy and we have to continue to grow as a team, but this has a chance to be one of the more talented teams we’ve had in a while.”
The Wonder Boys won five of their final seven games in 2023 to finish with an overall record of 5-6. It was the second consecutive 5-6 season for ATU.
Arkansas Tech will seek its first winning football season since 2017 this fall, and everyone in the football wing of the Hull Physical Education Building knows achieving that goal begins with a better start to the season. The Wonder Boys lost their first four games in 2023.
“The last couple of years we came together and played as a team from the middle of the season on,” said Shipp. “If we can do that early and keep that momentum rolling, I think we could have a pretty cool year this year and people would be pretty happy with us.”
Arkansas Tech returns 18 of the 22 position players who started in the 2023 season finale. Among those back for another year in the green and gold are running back Deuce Wise, who led the team in rushing (444 yards) last season; wide receiver Caleb Tanis, who led the team in receiving (48 receptions, 533 yards, six touchdowns) a year ago; defensive back Ben Stegall, ATU’s top tackler (66 tackles) in 2023; and defensive lineman Vershaud Richardson, the Wonder Boys’ leader in quarterback sacks (10.5) and tackles for a loss (10.5) last season.
Fall camp will include competition for the starting quarterback position. Taye Gatewood exhausted his eligibility while passing for 2,015 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023. Ethan Everson, Ethan Forrester, Hunter Loyd and Cedric Simmons are among those vying to succeed Gatewood.
A transfer from fellow Great American Conference member Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Everson completed 137-of-256 passes for 1,529 yards and nine touchdowns while appearing in 22 games for the Rangers from 2021-23.
Everson was 12-of-19 passing for 207 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas Tech in 2022. In his final game at NWOSU, he threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns against Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Nov. 11, 2023. Soon after, Everson entered the transfer portal and landed at Arkansas Tech in time for spring 2024 practice.
Forrester is a transfer from NCAA Division II member Fort Hays State University. He appeared in nine games during two seasons as an active member of the Tigers’ roster and earned four Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Academic Honor Roll awards.
Loyd appeared in four games and Simmons appeared in two games at quarterback for the Wonder Boys in 2023.
Among its specialists, Arkansas Tech returns place kicker Austin Hosier (8-of-13 field goals; 24-of-27 point after touchdown kicks in 2023), but it must find a successor to Aaron Winn at punter. Winn earned All-America honors as a senior in 2023 by leading NCAA Division II in punting average (45.1 yards per attempt).
New Arkansas Tech football student-athletes reported for fall camp on Thursday, Aug. 8. The returnees were scheduled to join them two days later with practice commencing on Sunday, Aug. 11. Shipp expects approximately 125 Wonder Boys to report for the beginning of camp.
Arkansas Tech will begin its 109th football season by hosting Oklahoma Baptist University for a 7 p.m. contest at Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium in Russellville on Thursday, Sept. 5.
“The biggest thing…and I’ve told our guys this pretty much from the spring to now…I don’t think it’s going to be much of a talent issue,” said Shipp. “In the years past, we weren’t as talented as everybody. I think we are equally as talented as a lot of teams. It’s not going to be a talent thing. It’s going to be, can we cohesively play as a football team? Can we care more about each other than we do our individual stats and things of that nature? I think that’s the key to every bit of it with this team. Great teams care about each other. Great teams play for each other.”
Tech Tidbits is a column written by Sam Strasner, ATU director of university relations and radio play-by-play voice for ATU football and basketball.
