To run the offense, Clark hired former East Carolina offensive coordinator Tony Petersen, most recently an analyst at Missouri. This 2020 class is ranked No. With the College Football Playoff expanding from four to 12 teams in 2024-25, and possibly more in the future, conference commissioners had asked the committee to look for ways to cut down on the number of plays in games in an attempt to mitigate potential injury exposures. [3] Shawn Clark serves as the 22nd and current head coach. App State is 7-15-1 in the series, most recently winning in 2000. He had been an assistant with the program since 2016, and was promoted to head coach following the departure of Eliah Drinkwitz . Staton made 11 of 16 field goals last season. Everybody on the committee was resolute: were not going directly to the NFL rule.. I know how to do it the right way. Of his 71 punts, 26 were downed inside the 20-yard line and 12 went longer than 50 yards. We think the changes are going to be very minimal here, said Smart, the committee co-chair. Well always have a downhill running game, a pro-style offense that will stretch the field vertically.. Bielaniec was hired as the Director of Athletic Performance in 2020 after also serving as an assistant football strength and conditioning coach with the Mountaineers in 2018. The Mountaineers have clearly outperformed those rankings, with at least a share of four consecutive conference titles. 2020 Appalachian State Coaching Staff Football Coaches & Staff Ridgeland also scored a big regular season road win at Sandy Creek. We just have to get those guys up and running.. One of the things that intrigued me about him was the success that Appalachian State had running the ball and the unique ways they did so. And for good reason. Sloan coached at Appalachian State from 2010-17 and under current Army defensive coordinator from 2013-17. Petersen played and coached at App State while at Marshall. Drinkwitz was an outside hire with no ties to the school. When you look at a defensive anchor, theyve got to be an intimidating presence to quarterbacks.. Jones, who coached Louisvilles inside linebackers in 2019, worked with the same position group in his last five seasons with the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers again are scheduled to travel to two P5 teams this season, Wake Forest and Wisconsin. UCLA will go into its final season in the Pac-12 with plenty of questions. Jonescoached at App State for 23 seasons from 1996-2018 before following head coach Scott Satterfield to Louisville, where the Cardinals completed an 8-5 season with a victory against Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl. 2012 Carolina Panthers (DB Coach) 7-9. He will fill the role of defensive coordinator in the 2020 season. This is where I want to end my career. Jacob Cooper. .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}^ Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame* Spent entire professional head coaching career with Mountaineers, List of Appalachian State Mountaineers head football coaches. That includes senior left guard Ryan Neuzil, senior center Noah Hannon, senior right guard Baer Hunter and sophomore right tackle Cooper Hodges. Appalachian State has added former FCS head coach to staff Doug Samuels Jun 23, 2021 Before becoming the head coach at Western Carolina, Mark Spier was an integral part of three FCS national titles and six conference titles on Jerry Moore's staff at Appalachian State. You want to throw the ball better. I think we have three of the top running backs in the conference, Clark said. [1][circular reference], Appalachian State had games scheduled against Morgan State, UMass, Wake Forest and Wisconsin, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3][4][5]. Williams rushed for 652 yards, 5.8 yards per carry and five touchdowns a year ago, while Harrington averaged 6.4 yards per carry on 50 attempts. The Bruins were 3-9 in Kellys first year in 2018 and 4-8 the following season. Running backs: App State ranked No. He would go on to have another 7-win season in 2017, but the program dipped to back-to-back 3-win seasons in 2018 and 2019 before a 1-win season in 2020. Taylors seven sacks led the team last year, and his 13 tackles for loss were the second most, earning first-team All-Sun Belt honors. New App State Coach Shawn Clark Begins Shaping Coaching Staff for 2020 Kelly will also have his third defensive coordinator in as many seasons after hiring DAnton Lynn. Theyve been very resilient, Clark said of his team. Nicholas Ross played in all 14 games as a true freshman last season and was a staple in the nickel package. A specific title has not yet been given to the veteran assistant. The committee forwarded two other proposals to keep games moving. LOS ANGELES Chip Kelly signed a two-year extension with UCLA that keeps him under contract through 2027. 85 nationally, the best in the school history and only the second in the top 90, though App State's rankings go back to only 2011. New hire replaces Marc Vottler following Vottler's hiring at Ohio State. Were very fortunate here on the mountain because its a player-led program. Still, on a team loaded with senior starters, it may be hard for young players to find playing time. After spending one season as the defensive coordinator at Georgia Military College, Nunn was named as that junior colleges head coach from 1992-99. The other nine are: Per the school, position assignments for the offensive and defensive assistants will be announced soon. His completion percentage in 2019 (62.7) and yards per attempt (7.6) were similar to the previous year. Another addition to the staff includes Courtney Braswell, who was hired after only one year of collegiate experience as defensive quality control coach for Satterfield at Louisville last season. Sources: Appalachian State making some staff changes Appalachian State has added former FCS head coach to staff 1 guy, and weve got some guys behind him. SPORTS App State announced the following football staff changes Friday: Defensive line coach Robert Nunn and Director of Athletic Performance Brad Bielaniec are no longer with the program. Our receivers want to have more receptions, and bigger, more explosive plays, said Peterson. Jan 5, 2020. 828-262-7914. BOONE - Days after defensive coordinator Dale Jones left the program, two other App State football coaches are also out, the team announced Friday. As the Mountaineers move ahead in 2020 with their third head coach in three years, those expectations havent changed, and for good reason. While most schools got little to no spring practice, the Mountaineers started early, as they traditionally do. Though having four senior receivers bodes well for 2020, it leaves a hole for 2021. He led the teams tight ends with eight catches for 75 yards. A former small college football player and college assistant, Samuels now serves as the head coach at Comstock Park HS (MI). Now, after being let go back in April after nine seasons leading the Western Carolina program (FCS) he's returning to App State. App State coaches know they need to develop the next group and expect to sign three or four receivers in the next recruiting class. The teams only major offensive personnel loss is the early departure of Darrynton Evans, the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year who rushed for 1,480 yards as a junior. BOONE The App State Mountaineers football program is losing their second coach in one week after offensive line coach Nic Cardwell announced on Twitter Tuesday that he was leaving the program. | Shawn Clarks Record with Appalachian State. Jones left for one season to go with Scott Satterfield to Louisville; but returned for the 2020 season and has served as defensive coordinator since. From 2000-02 he was the assistant line coach for the Miami Dolphins, then spent the 2004 season as a special assistant coach for that same organization. In 2018, Braswell led the Panthers to an 8-4 overall record, a Region 6-AAAA runner-up finish and a 34-14 state playoff victory over Flowery Branch before a second-round loss at Cartersville, the eventual state runner-up. App States new coaching staff will make its on-field debut against Charlotte Sept. 12. Hes familiar with the terrain. 2019 Appalachian State Coaching Staff Football Coaches & Staff "It has been an honor to coach at my alma mater, a place where I have personally shed blood, sweat and tears . 828-262-3180. Quarterbacks: Senior Zac Thomas has a 23-1 record in regulation as a starter when he plays more than the first series. Having played offensive guard for the Mountaineers from 1994-98, Clark returned to Boone after coaching stints at Louisville, Eastern Kentucky, Purdue and Kent State. With Nunns hiring, all 10 of Clarks on-field assistants have been hired. Washington and Watts were retained by Clark, and Cardwell is also a former App State player and assistant. A tough stretch continues in Week 8 with Arkansas State at home. Asked about who could contribute as a freshman, coaches noted they plan to rotate more players on defense. Appalachian State Coach Shawn Clark Salary - USA TODAY With a new coaching staff, the running game will remain the focal point of the offense, from both the running back and quarterback positions. The NFL keeps the clock running on first downs the entire game, and Shaw said keeping the old rule in place the last two minutes of halves represents a beautiful difference between the pro and college games. The thing about the Wake game is weve got some tradition there against each other, Jones said. List of Appalachian State Mountaineers head football coaches Despite a mostly new coaching staff, nearly the entire starting offense returns, and the defense and special teams are also populated with senior starters.