Carver grad Josh Curry returns to sign with Arkansas State

Josh Curry left the Carver football program after the 2014 season with the label “too small” hanging over his head. On Wednesday, Curry was able to hold his head high thanks to the newest chapter of his career.

Curry signed with Arkansas State while sitting alongside 11 more Carver football players on National Signing Day, but he certainly stood out among the group. To get to this point, Curry spent the past two years at Arizona Western College, a junior college in Yuma, Ariz.

“It felt like family,” Curry said about signing with Arkansas State. “I had schools like Syracuse and TCU (show interest), but I chose Arkansas State because they stayed loyal to me. They never gave up on me.”

With two more years of experience and added bulk, Curry reflected on what he went through back when he was still a Tiger.

“Throughout my high school career, I would go to top camps in football and destroy anybody they put against me,” Curry said. “Everybody overlooked me. To me, it ain’t about the size; it’s how you play and how you produce. It’s what you’ve got and what you bring to the table.”

Curry took the junior college route in stride and did what he could to get recognized this past year. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Curry produced in his sophomore season at Arizona Western College, recording 39 tackles with five-and-a-half tackles for loss.

His play brought more interested parties this time around, but many coaches only issued a passing glance instead of not even looking like before. Arkansas State’s staff, however, was not among them.

They showed Curry their interest early on and kept communications constant with him. Curry was impressed with the Arkansas State coaches, who sold him on having a better life and never having to struggle again. Curry verbally committed to the team last June, eager to soon join.

As National Signing Day drew closer, schools scrambled to persuade Curry to change his mind. After considering the way the Wolves treated him, Curry had no doubt about his decision.

“When everybody came back to the table, I knew I could never do Arkansas State like that,” Curry said.

Curry was open about the path that brought him to this moment, labeling it a hard road. Now, however, Curry is set to join one of the Sun Belt Conference’s better teams. He said he was excited about the opportunity of playing in the conference and facing the non-conference opponents, which include Nebraska, Miami and SMU in 2017.

Curry’s journey to Arkansas State had its obstacles, but on Wednesday, he finally saw all those setbacks pay off.

“I’m a real Wolf,” Curry said.

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Carver grad Josh Curry returns to sign with Arkansas State."