NEW ORLEANS -- Arkansas State's Kivon Bennett was long aware he'd be changing positions this offseason. It was a move he and Red Wolves Coach Butch Jones had planned upon his arrival in Jonesboro last spring.
But knowing he would transition from defensive end to outside linebacker didn't necessarily make the shift easy for Bennett. He acknowledged throughout spring camp that he was still making mistakes and trying to "not bash [himself] too much" for them.
Fast forward a few months and the preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection said he believes he's in a much better place.
"I'm where I need to be," Bennett told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette when asked about his position change. "I felt way more confident over the summer, even though we haven't had pads on. ... I know it's going to be different when the game comes. It's probably going to take me maybe the first game or so [to adjust], but I'm not too worried about it."
Going into his final collegiate season, Bennett said he is hoping to cement himself as an NFL prospect, and there's a consensus both inside and outside the program that playing linebacker will give Bennett the best chance to reach that level.
For the Red Wolves, shifting Bennett away from the line of scrimmage will solidify their overall front seven. While Alabama transfer King Mwikuta is gone from ASU's roster, the Red Wolves have edge-rushing options in Arkansas transfer Blayne Toll, Purdue transfer Robert McWilliams and Thurman Geathers, among several others.
Just because Bennett is moving to linebacker, however, doesn't mean he won't be able to wreak havoc in opposing backfields. He said one of the players he's studied the most this offseason is Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Micah Parsons -- the reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Despite the outside linebacker label, Parsons logged 13 sacks in his debut season en route to All-Pro honors.
And if Bennett ever has any questions about the position, he can just make a call home. His dad, Cornelius, was a three-time first-team All-American at the position while playing for Alabama in 1983-86. The elder Bennett then was named to three NFL All-Pro first teams as a member of the Buffalo Bills.
Yet, Kivon said his dad tries to stay out of the way as much as possible.
"For all my sports -- not just football -- he's always let my coaches coach me," Bennett said. "If I ask him something or if he sees a glaring issue of what's going on, he'll probably say something. But nine times out of 10, my dad is watching golf."
Mwikuta gone
For all the new faces that will make their Arkansas State debut during fall camp this week, one player who was expected to be a part of that group will not be in attendance.
King Mwikuta, a 6-5, 238-pound defensive end who transferred from Alabama shortly after the Crimson Tide's national championship loss last season, was dismissed from the Red Wolves' program after spring camp. Coach Butch Jones told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Mwikuta was unable to uphold ASU's academic values.
"I love King and I'll always be there for him," Jones said. "It's very unfortunate, but we have high expectations and high standards, and it starts first and foremost in the classroom."
Mwikuta was working with the first-team defense during most of the spring, adding to a revamped defensive line that saw Kivon Bennett and Joe Ozougwu play more than 90% of the Red Wolves' snaps on the outside a year ago.
The former 4-star prospect had a relationship with Jones dating back to their time at Alabama. During the spring, Mwikuta spoke of Jones' "vision" for reviving ASU.
As excited as the Red Wolves' head coach was to bring Mwikuta into the ASU program, he was equally disappointed to have to let him go.
"I think the world of [Mwikuta]," Jones said. "You hope that sometimes individuals have life-changing incidents that help them. There's an academic expectation that we demand."
More comfortable
Arkansas State Coach Butch Jones was definitely more buttoned-up than usual Wednesday at Sun Belt Conference Media Day, decked out in a red-pinstriped charcoal suit over a crisp white shirt and red tie.
Yet Jones didn't hesitate when asked if he's more comfortable in his role versus when he made the trek to New Orleans last July.
"Last year, obviously, was very difficult for everyone involved," Jones said. "But I think that the next few years of the building of our program, we're going to look back and [say] it helped us get to where we are."
The composition of the Red Wolves' roster is pretty drastically altered with three offensive cogs gone via the transfer portal -- quarterback Layne Hatcher, running back Lincoln Pare and wide receiver Corey Rucker -- and two defensive leaders who graduated -- end Joe Ozougwu and linebacker Caleb Bonner.
But Jones was more than happy to talk about the numerous additions to his roster -- both from the high-school ranks and the portal -- as well as changes on his coaching staff, which includes four newcomers plus a job swap between holdovers Andy Kwon and Matt Limegrover.
"We've had a very good offseason and a very productive summer," Jones said. "It still goes back to learning how to win, and not just wanting to win but deserving to win each and every day."
Notable new faces
Arkansas State will enter camp with 23 players who transferred in from a four-year or junior college this offseason.
Some, like safety Eddie Smith and linebacker Jordan Carmouche, have been with the program since January. Most, though, are still without a number on the Red Wolves' roster.
AJ Mayer -- formerly of Miami (Ohio) -- will join the quarterback room to compete with true freshman Jaxon Dailey for the backup spot. Jordan Rhodes (6-4, 335 pounds) could plug an immediate hole on the offensive line after stops at South Carolina and Ole Miss.
But running back Brian Snead could give ASU the biggest boost of anyone this season. The 80th-ranked recruit in the Class of 2018, Snead began his career at Ohio State before being dismissed from the school after violating the code of student conduct.
Per a 2019 report by Ohio State's student newspaper, Snead "was listed as the suspect in a police report detailing a rape of a student."
Jones told the Democrat-Gazette that he and his staff did extensive due diligence before offering Snead an opportunity in Jonesboro.
"It was an exhausting process," Jones said. "From our entire administration to Ohio State to Austin Peay -- he went to another institution, he graduated and had a great career there. I knew of Brian when we were at Tennessee and Alabama, so I knew all about him. It was an exhaustive process, but a process that we wanted to make sure we did."