5-5 running back makes a big splash with Red Wolves

Many recruiters from larger schools were turned off by Warren Wand’s size, but Arkansas State offensive coordinator Walt Bell said Wand will play as a freshman.
Many recruiters from larger schools were turned off by Warren Wand’s size, but Arkansas State offensive coordinator Walt Bell said Wand will play as a freshman.

JONESBORO — To explain how his opinion of Warren Wand reached such heights, Justin Meredith shares a three-year-old story from when Wand was a sophomore playing quarterback at Edmond (Okla.) Memorial High School.

It was early October and the Bulldogs were trying to ice a game in the fourth quarter against nearby Mustang, a state power ranked among the top five. Meredith, Edmond’s coach, called a timeout to tell Wand to run a simple zone read and to “just take care of the football.”

Warren Wand glance

SCHOOL Arkansas State

CLASS Freshman

POSITION Running back

HEIGHT 5-5

WEIGHT 174 pounds

HOMETOWN Edmond, Okla.

NOTEWORTHY A four-year starter at Edmond Memorial High School, which competes in Class 6A, the highest classification in Oklahoma. ... Rushed for 5,058 yards and scored 48 touchdowns in high school. ... Played quarterback part time as a freshman and sophomore. ... Also recruited by New Mexico and Southern Miss.

“He says to me, ‘Coach, I got this,’ ” Meredith said. “Then he breaks a 60-yard run for a touchdown and we win. That’s a sophomore talking like that.”

Meredith watched Wand run for 5,085 rushing yards and score 48 touchdowns at Edmond. He also watched the 5-5, 174-pound Wand get bypassed by recruiters from major college programs because they were turned off by his slight frame.

Wand ended up committing early to Arkansas State and signed with the Red Wolves in February, and it’s taken the small back only a few weeks to become the biggest surprise of fall camp by nudging his way into playing time in a crowded backfield.

Meredith isn’t surprised.

“Warren Wand is the best player I’ve ever coached,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to coach players who have gone to the Big 12, the Big Ten the SEC. He’s far and away the best player I’ve ever coached. If he were three to four inches taller, he might be playing at OU right now.”

ASU coaches won’t disagree.

Wand reportedly turned down offers from New Mexico and Southern Miss to sign with ASU and arrived on campus as one of two freshmen in a position group led by Michael Gordon, a senior and preseason first-team All-Sun Belt Conference player.

By the end of the first scrimmage, offensive coordinator Walt Bell said Wand would play as a true freshman. By the end of the second scrimmage Saturday night, Wand was running full series with the No. 1 offense.

“I didn’t come here expecting anything,” Wand said after Saturday’s scrimmage, surrounded by a handful of reporters for the first time in his college career. “I just came here to try my best and work as hard as I can.”

ASU’s backfield was already crowded with Gordon, who rushed for 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, and Johnston White (514 yards, six touchdowns). De-Keathan Williams and Terrance Hollingsworth saw time at the position last season and are back as well.

But there was Wand on Saturday, bouncing runs to the outside and catching passes out of the backfield. Unofficially, he rushed 6 times for 36 yards and caught 3 passes for 59 yards in the scrimmage, most of which came with the top offense.

“He’s been doing that every day,” ASU Coach Blake Anderson said. “I was just really pleased that he worked as good as he did with the veteran group.

“He’s going to be in the mix. Mike is our starter, but Wand is a great change-ofpace guy along with [White], and feeling better and better about our tailback situation every day.”

Wand has turned his teammates’ heads as well.

“Nobody can tackle the kid,” senior quarterback Fredi Knighten said. “He’s fast. He’s strong. He’s smart.”

Senior defensive end Chris Stone called Wand a “little pinball out there.”

“It’s hard for anybody to get him down,” Stone said. “He’s real slippery, up and under tackles. You can’t arm-tackle him. You’ve got to put a body on him.”

Wand laughed off the compliments following Saturday’s scrimmage, and even eluded that he didn’t fully understand just how big of a jump he’s made in such a short time.

Meredith wasn’t surprised by that either, describing the running back as humble.

“It’s eye opening,” Wand said of being a freshman. “You’ve got to work hard and you’re tired every night. You’ve got to get a lot of rest. But when you get your opportunity, you’ve got to take it one step at a time.

“I never really noticed a big difference in reps or anything, but I got my opportunity and I tried to do my best with it.”

It’s an opportunity Power Five schools weren’t willing to offer, which Meredith said Wand has used as motivation.

“He never said that but, yes, I truly believe it frustrated him,” the coach said. “I think in a humble way he carries it as a chip on his shoulder. … He is a top-notch football player.”

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