Leading up to the Red Wolves’ homecoming game against Georgia State slated for Saturday, the Student Activities Board (SAB) has a week of “Spider-Verse”-themed events planned.

This year’s homecoming theme came from a hangout between SAB’s current Director of Campus Traditions, Deja Foster, a sophomore psychology major from North Little Rock, and two friends.

“We were at Little Caesars, and you know the new Spider-Man movie had just come out around that time, and we were all brainstorming ideas for homecoming because they had helped a lot,” Foster said. “Chauncey Betts, he was the Director of Campus Tradition last year, so we’re all-time final theme, and Jameon’s pizza box had Spider-Man on top and we were like ‘Spider-Man.’”

Although the theme was just announced during Order of the Pack at the end of August, “Into the Howl-Verse” has been in production since June, around the time the most recent Spider-Man movie, “Brand New Day,” was in its marketing phase.

The week of activities began Monday with the homecoming court reveal during the “Into the Cosmos” event, which featured freeze-dried candy and roller skating.

The court is as follows:

King:

• Chauncy Betts, a senior strategic communication major from McGehee, nominated by The Creative Collective
• Cosmo Deveaux, a senior engineering technology major from the Bahamas, nominated by the Black Student Association
• Harrison Herget, a senior interdisciplinary studies major from Jonesboro, nominated by Phi Delta Theta
• Caleb Ramsey, a junior nursing and health professions major from Forrest City, nominated by Zeta Tau Alpha
• JP Rowton, a junior accounting and data analytics major from Harrisburg, nominated by Kappa Alpha

Queen:

• Cameron Argo, a junior health studies major from Lepanto, nominated by Sigma Chi
• Denver Brooks, a senior radiological sciences major from North Little Rock, nominated by The Creative Collective
• Emma Dorton, a junior strategic communication major from Dexter, Missouri, nominated by Kappa Alpha
• Kate Malone, a senior strategic communication major from Germantown, Tennessee, nominated by Alpha Gamma Delta
• Janarie Prince, a senior psychology major from New Orleans, nominated by the Black Student Association

Although Dorton and Rowton are SAB president and director of athletic engagement respectively, they said they aren’t allowed to open the ballot.

“Nobody on the team has any idea who’s going to win until we all find out together, and it’s strictly Micayla, and Micayla will know,” Rowton said. “Even with us being on the team and being there early, this and that, and us all having to be at the event on Monday, we will not figure it out until it is announced to the whole student body.”

Students can vote for homecoming king and queen Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through a form provided on SAB’s Instagram page.

The rest of the week’s events so far included a petting zoo, a bungee-jumping activity, and food trucks on the Humanities Lawn Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning, students could donate a canned food item to receive their homecoming t-shirt and a ticket for a sno-cone.

Thursday, students will gather for “Through the Flames” at 7 p.m. on the Union Lawn for a movie that has yet to be decided. A popcorn bar and s’mores will also be available.

The annual “Yell Like Hell” event will close out the week’s events at 7 p.m. Friday at the corner of Union Loop and Honors Avenue. Winners of different competitions throughout the week, such as “Best Banner,” will be announced during the event.

“I think ‘Yell Like Hell’ is just really underrated,” Dorton said. “I think that it’s a really great event to get our student body kind of excited for the game. It’s all about school spirit. It shows how great of an atmosphere we have, and it’s also just fun. You get to do skits. We have food. It’s a really great time to just kind of sit around and hang out.”

On Homecoming day, students and alumni alike will attend multiple alumni events and reunions on campus.

Attendance for last year’s rainy homecoming win against Georgia Southern was 16,341. In 2024, it was 21,427 in a sunny win against South Alabama.

“With any homecoming event, there’s always going to be more participation than just a normal Saturday game,” Rowton said. “However, this year, I think just with what we’ve done so far with the giveaways, and then with the great week events that Deja has planned, it’ll be a big turnout for the game.”

For this year’s home games, SAB has sponsored giveaways for the most-attended registered student organization and for random students who sign in at the game.

The awards have ranged from hundreds of dollars for the organization to a turtle box for individual students who signed in.​

Kickoff for the Red Wolves’ homecoming game will be at 6 p.m. at Centennial Bank Stadium, where A-State will face off against the Georgia State Panthers. The Red Wolves lead the series 7-2.

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