<a href='http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2004/Players/ArkansasState_StevenTookes.htm' target='_blank'>Arkansas State LB Steven Tookes</a>

Writeup by Pete Fiutak

Who is Steven Tookes? ... It's been hard for Arkansas State to get a whole bunch of national attention, but the Indians have been a respectable 11-14 over the last two years with some excellent players from time to time. Mostly the stars have been on offense with RB Danny Smith and OT Garry Johnson ranking among the top four in CFN's ranking of the top Sun Belt players of 2002.

Even so, the turnover-forcing defense is slowly becoming ASU's strength. Last year, it was a tremendous linebacking corps that led the way with the Sun Belt's leading tackler, Les Echols, and 5-11 guided missile Steven Tookes combining to make 213 tackles for the Sun Belt's second best run defense. With Echols and some of the team's best tacklers gone, it'll be up to Tookes to become the defensive leader and the team's top player.

As active and as consistent a player as there is in the league, Tookes combines excellent speed with a nose to get in on every play. When he arrives at a ball-carrier, he hits as well as any linebacker in the Sun Belt.

"(He's) the most physical player I've ever been around," said ASU head coach Steven Tookes. "He loves to attack on every play, loves to hit and has great balance."

If the Indians are planning on being in the Sun Belt race, Tookes is going to have to be more of a factor than ever, and he will be.
Tookes' best game so far was ... in a wild 44-41 win over UL Monroe, Tookes, who had seven tackles on the day, made the game turning play hitting ULM punt returner H.J. Adams forcing a fumble. ASU's Jerome Stegall picked it up for the winning score.

Why you should care about Steven Tookes ... Linebackers have mostly been the defensive stars of the Sun Belt, and this year won't be an exception with Cody Spencer of North Texas and Mike Anderson of Idaho among the returning leaders. Tookes will be in that group as one of the best players in the league, and he should be among the tackling leaders along with being one of the most intimidating forces.

Positives about Tookes ... A huge hitter, Tookes is always a big play waiting to happen while remaining one of the most steady tacklers on the team. When he gets to a ball-carrier, he's always going for the turnover and should create several this year. He has solid size and decent mobility, and he'll have to use his talents to be the team's leader. Also good on special teams, there are few more dangerous players when he has a free shot at a kick returner.

Negatives about Tookes ... As good as he's been, he's usually been the second to third top tackler in each game. Now it's his turn to shine, but he has to prove he can do it without other solid players to take the pressure off. If he's not the game-in-and-game-out leading tackler, ASU could be in trouble.

A cool thing about Tookes that you probably didn't know ... As a high school senior at Stephenson High in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Tookes made 136 tackles, 12 sacks, 25 tackles for loss and blocked two punts.

Career statistics
2003: 90 tackles, one sack, nine tackles for loss, two broken up passes, two forced fumbles.
2002: 93 tackles, one sack, four tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries
2001: 21 tackles

"5-11 guided missile Steven Tookes "

Sounds like dynamite in a small package!

:D