JONESBORO — For Blayne Toll, it took going away to know that he needed to come home.
He missed the fried food and the sweet tea, yes. And being 100 miles from family is a whole lot better than 1,000.
When Toll arrived at Arkansas State University in mid-October, everything clicked for the Hazen native.
“It was just really important for me to be back home [and] to build something that the state can be proud of,” Toll said. “I was in the portal for a few months and it sucks not being a part of something bigger than yourself.