Roy Thompson is not afraid to talk about his goals for the Arkansas Tech University football program. In fact, he believes it is a necessary first step in attaining those goals
“We have to talk about the things we want to achieve,” said Thompson, who is beginning his second season as head coach of the Wonder Boys. “You have to set a goal. You have to have a plan of what you’re trying to achieve. I think a lot of times we go out there and we’re just trying to play football. You don’t have the goal of what you’re actually trying to achieve in mind. We want to set the goal. We want to be conference champions here at Arkansas Tech
“Now…you don’t just show up and win football games,” continued Thompson. “You can get caught up in the fact that you want to win a championship and miss out on all the little things you have to do to win the championship. That’s our job as coaches. We call it details, effort and finish. What are you doing every, single day to reach the ultimate goal? You don’t skip over step one…working hard. People talk about the process…we say go to work. You have to go to work every day to accomplish the end goal. And that’s not just football…it’s the weight room, it’s the classroom, it’s community service…champions are champions everywhere.”
The 111th season of Arkansas Tech football will begin on Thursday, Sept. 3, when the Wonder Boys host Southwestern Oklahoma State University for a 7 p.m. Great American Conference contest at Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium in Russellville
Arkansas Tech was 7-5 overall and a participant in the Heritage Bowl Powered by Riot in 2025. It was the Wonder Boys’ first winning season and first bowl appearance in eight years
When Thompson evaluated his first season at Arkansas Tech, his top priority in preparation for 2026 was to make his players bigger, faster and stronger
“You want to get more athletic, so attacking the weight room was one of the big areas we wanted to focus on,” said Thompson. “At the end of our winter workouts, we had more than 30 guys who blew the roof off their goal testing. Football is a physical game. It’s a game of strength and speed. Seeing those guys develop in those areas was huge.”
Success in NCAA Division II carries with it a new challenge in the modern environment of intercollegiate athletics. NCAA Division I programs are mining talent from Division II like never before, and Arkansas Tech football was not immune to that trend in the offseason
Running back Bryson Roland, who last year became the first Wonder Boy to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season since 2015, is now playing at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Arkansas Tech defensive standouts from a year ago Diego Sanchez (now at Northwestern State University) and Sam Jackson (now at the University of Central Arkansas) also exited through the transfer portal
The good news is the transfer portal is a two-way street, and Thompson said he believes the Wonder Boys were successful in utilizing that player acquisition re up the running back, defensive back and linebacker positions
“In this world of the transfer portal, you have to constantly evaluate your roster,” said Thompson. “Looking at last season, we felt like defensive back was a spot we probably didn’t have enough depth. We had a lot of talented football players — Kylan Crite, Tyrique Jones and Trey Howard — but behind those guys, there probably weren’t a lot who were ready to play at a high level. That’s an area we definitely felt like we had to go out and try to get some guys with some experience and some great young talent to develop.
“I also think we did an amazing job filling the linebacker room,” continued Thompson. “It’s going to be one of the most contested positions in camp. There’s a lot of talent in that room. We’re excited about it. I mess with Coach (Bailey) Proctor, our linebackers coach, all the time. I don’t know how he’s going to get all those dudes on the field. We’re excited to watch those guys work.”
Thompson said blending the returning players and the incoming players into a cohesive unit is made easier this season by the culture building that took place within the program in 2025. With a new season approaching, Thompson is working toward sharing a larger percentage of the leadership responsibility with the players
“A player-led team is when the players set the standard for what’s accepted and not accepted within the program in all areas,” said Thompson. “What will the kids stand for? What is their standard of excellence? What will they allow? It makes a huge difference when those guys are out there running in the summer and one of your leaders says, ‘no, you didn’t finish…go back, because this is what a finish looks like,’ or ‘you can’t show up to this workout one minute before,’ or ‘hey, we’re going to all wear the colors the coach gave us.’ All of those little things really make a huge difference, and we have a lot of guys who are meeting the standard of being a player-led team.”
For now, the most important question facing the Wonder Boys is this: what must they accomplish between now and Sept. 3 to be in the best position to pursue and achieve the goals they have set for themselves?
“I’ve been thinking about that question for weeks,” said Thompson. “We’ve got to go to work. I think we have a pretty talented football team, but we have to build those guys to do the little things at an elite level. Football is running, tackling, discipline and accountability. When you have kids who you believe are talented enough, how do we do all of those other little areas better than anyone else? We have to come together as a football team. You’ve got to love each other. You’ve got to want to work together. You’ve got to push each other. It’s like building a house on a solid foundation. We’ve got to start with solid ground and build it day-by-day. I’m excited to get those guys out there and start that process.”
Tech Tidbits is a column ATU director of university relations and radio play-by-play voice for ATU football and basketball
