Stature and coaches, 1972–2026
The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program
Run↔pass identity, by season
Every coach
Big movers show how many stature points they built or lost against what they inherited; steadier tenures show the tier they reached instead. A small blue arrow marks a real System Shift at that changeover — how hard the offense’s run/pass identity flipped.
2019–2024
Shawn Clark Steady
Shawn Clark slid App State from National Program II to National Program I in 5 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
−1.6 pts over 5 seasons · top 41% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Jeff Horton’s UNLV run (1994–1998)
1st-best App State tenure of 3 by the numbers.
Followed Eli Drinkwitz (2019) · succeeded by Dowell Loggains (2025–now).
System Shift, on departure
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||
| Record | 1-0 | 9-3 | 10-4 | 6-6 | 9-5 | 5-6 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | W bowl | L bowl | — | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | #83 | #69 | #83 | #80 | #94 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||
| Pass rate | — | 35.5 | 42.1 | 43.0 | 46.9 | 50.5 | |
| Coordinators | |||||||
| OC | — | Tony Petersen | Frank Ponce | Kevin Barbay | Frank Ponce | Frank Ponce | |
| DC | — | Dale Jones | Dale Jones | Dale Jones | Scot Sloan | Scot Sloan | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||
| Offense | — | 89 | 70 | 77 | 77 | 53 | |
| Defense | — | 85 | 89 | 48 | 56 | 24 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | 34.6 | 43.0 | 38.8 | 42.9 | 42.3 | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | 39.0 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 43.6 | 42.6 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | 40.0 | 51.0 | 60.5 | 46.0 | 51.4 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Outperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
+29.0 pts
#14 of 208 · top quarter
Defense vs. talent
+15.1 pts
#47 of 208 · top quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
A typical amount of portal roster-building.
Portal arrivals
44
2.9★ avg rating
Portal departures
49
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-5
#112 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 242 lbs
across 39 of 44 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+4.9 lbs
#102 of 255 · middle half
Avg. class year
Sr
#1 of 255 · top quarter
Top states: NC (12), FL (7), GA (6), TX (2), SC (2)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
52.1
position-weighted
Talent lost
52.1
position-weighted
Net
+0.1
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Brady McBride (QB) from Texas State
Biggest loss: David Baldwin-Griffin (QB) to the portal
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Tony Petersen → Frank Ponce · 2021
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 34.6% → 43.0% (+8.4 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 65% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
OC: Frank Ponce → Kevin Barbay · 2022
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 43.0% → 38.8% (-4.2 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 56% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
OC: Kevin Barbay → Frank Ponce · 2023
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 38.8% → 42.9% (+4.1 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 47% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
DC: Dale Jones → Scot Sloan · 2023The defense collapsed across the change
2-season window either side.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
218 lbs
6′2″ avg · #223 of 767 · middle half
Running back
207 lbs
6′0″ avg · #412 of 791 · middle half
Wide receiver
195 lbs
6′1″ avg · #298 of 791 · middle half
Tight end
242 lbs
6′4″ avg · #504 of 731 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
298 lbs
6′4″ avg · #722 of 779 · bottom quarter
D-line
265 lbs
6′2″ avg · #715 of 753 · bottom quarter
Linebacker
224 lbs
6′2″ avg · #616 of 772 · bottom quarter
Cornerback
190 lbs
5′11″ avg · #395 of 771 · middle half
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Athlete via the portal
13%
#36 of 146 stints
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Grows Edge from high school
80%
#175 of 208 stints
Postseason detail2019: Beat UAB 31-17 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl2020: Beat North Texas 56-28 Myrtle Beach Bowl2021: Lost to Western Kentucky 38-59 RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl2023: Beat Miami (OH) 13-9 Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl
4 NFL Draft picks: Shemar Jean-Charles (2021), D'Marco Jackson (2022), Nick Hampton (2023), Cooper Hodges (2023)
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Shemar Jean-Charles (2020)
−1.6
40-24
2018
Mark Ivey Short tenure
2018 defense ranked in the 98th percentile nationally — elite
1-0
2014–2018
Scott Satterfield Steady
Scott Satterfield held App State at National Program II for 5 seasons.
2018 defense ranked in the 98th percentile nationally — elite
2nd-best App State tenure of 3 by the numbers.
Followed Mike Working (1980–1981) · succeeded by Eli Drinkwitz (2019).
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||
| Record | 7-5 | 11-2 | 10-3 | 9-4 | 10-2 | |
| Postseason | — | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #87 | #114 | #109 | #107 | #113 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||
| Pass rate | 38.8 | 32.9 | 36.6 | 40.2 | 37.2 | |
| Coordinators | ||||||
| OC | Frank Ponce / Dwayne Ledford | Frank Ponce / Dwayne Ledford | Frank Ponce / Shawn Clark | Frank Ponce / Shawn Clark | Frank Ponce / Shawn Clark | |
| DC | Nate Woody | Nate Woody | Nate Woody | Nate Woody | Bryan Brown | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||
| Offense | 87 | 78 | 62 | 88 | 86 | |
| Defense | 76 | 97 | 89 | 81 | 98 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 29.9 | 26.5 | 32.2 | 39.8 | 29.2 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 31.9 | 28.0 | 36.6 | 34.2 | 32.3 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 42.4 | 35.7 | 44.7 | 36.6 | 46.4 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Outperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
+42.2 pts
#4 of 208 · top quarter
Defense vs. talent
+53.5 pts
#1 of 208 · top quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Frank Ponce (co) / Dwayne Ledford (co) → Frank Ponce (co) / Shawn Clark (co) · 2016The system held
2-season window either side.
1st-down pass rate: 28.2% → 36.0% (+7.8 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 72% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Postseason detail2015: Beat Ohio 31-29 Raycom Media Camellia Bowl2016: Beat Toledo 31-28 Raycom Media Camellia Bowl2017: Beat Toledo 34-0 Dollar General Bowl
2 NFL Draft picks: Ronald Blair (2016), Colby Gossett (2018)
National Program II
47-16
1980–1981
Mike Working Short tenure
9-11-2
1972–1979
Jim Brakefield Steady
Jim Brakefield held App State at Regional Program II for 8 seasons.
3rd-best App State tenure of 3 by the numbers.
Succeeded by Mike Working (1980–1981).
Regional Program II
40-45-3