How do we keep Drinkwitz!?!?

[hotrod2001]

I think it might come down to ensuring that no one individual is bigger than the program as a whole. As long as the football team is a well-oiled machine, you will always have your pick of high quality candidates to take the reigns over perennial dumpster fire programs. As I said earlier, UCS, NDSU and Boise State all had coaching changes and they're still running through their competition.

Don't think for a moment that when the opportunity to take the reigns of a top-25 caliber team with multiple bowl wins and conference championships arises that we won't have the pick of the lot. And whoever is next up will realize what the expectations of this team is going to be. It'll be an attractive job to be had.

[hotrod2001]

Honestly, I don't know what opportunities Jerry Moore might have had, but I kind of doubt he was turning down P5s right and left. He was in his early 50s when App hired him, with a failed stint as a Big 12 HC on his record. Then for his first decade-plus at App, he ran a nice program that won some conference titles and made the playoffs a lot, but didn't really do anything that would dazzle 1-A ADs. By the time we started winning national titles, he was in his mid-60s, so basically "aged out" for bigger schools to come after him.

And frankly, if you're looking to get a longer stay out of a coach, that's one way to go - hire an older coach, esp. one who's been fired as a P5 HC before. Those guys are just less likely to be in demand for bigger jobs.

Otherwise, your best bet is probably to go the Boise route and try to hire "in the family" in order to maintain continuity across transitions and *hopefully* retain coaches at least a little longer.

UCF's ability to stay relevant is TBD because they haven't gone that route. They built their program by hiring one of those older coaches with a blemish on his resume (no pun intended) in O'Leary, although they fell apart in his last year. But he was there a decade and took the program from basically nothing to winning the Fiesta Bowl. Since he's left, they've hired two young coaches who have no connection to the school or even the state of Florida in Frost and Heupel. Obviously both have worked out well in the short term; how long can you maintain that kind of success when you're doing a full reboot every couple years? I think that's tough, but we'll see.

Moore is up there like Bowden, Paterno and Bryant. He was an establishment in his program and probably sought to retire from App. I'm sure he had some phone calls from other FCS teams and probably had zero interest in the FBS, which if I recall is one of the reasons, if not the primary reason Cobb unceremoniously dumped him because he didn't want to coach at that level..

I recall he went over to Johnson City briefly to help out ETSU get their program back up and running but I don't think his heart would have been anywhere else.

[appstatealum]

And frankly, if you're looking to get a longer stay out of a coach, that's one way to go - hire an older coach, esp. one who's been fired as a P5 HC before. Those guys are just less likely to be in demand for bigger jobs.

Ted Roof?

[EastHallApp]

And frankly, if you're looking to get a longer stay out of a coach, that's one way to go - hire an older coach, esp. one who's been fired as a P5 HC before. Those guys are just less likely to be in demand for bigger jobs.

Ted Roof?

I mean, honestly... he does fit the profile.

This board would look like Chernobyl though.

[AppSt94]

I know we’ve got some time. This team was built by coaches that are over at Louisville now. However, Drinkwitz and his staff are doing a damn good job building on what was inherited. If Drinkwitz can recruit as good as he can coach, offers are going to be flying in!

My hopes are that Drinkwitz is looking at the bigger picture and a future with App. Hopefully he sees what can come from this seasoned team in its infancy of a FBS football transition. We need someone that can continue our growth and get us ready should another alignment happen. I think Drinkwitz is that guy.

The question is... how does a team in the Sunbelt hold on to someone like Drinkwitz. Assuming we can’t pay what some of these P5 conference teams can offer, how do we keep App from being a stepping stone school for coaches.

If Zac Thomas get a significant injury. One play away from going in the crapper.

Not necessarily. Given our running game and the receiving corps, I think that we can be alright. The offense that Drink ran at State is right for Huesman’s game.

Huesman has been a signal caller. I don’t believe he’s the backup anymore. David Baldwin from IMG Academy will probably come in if Zac goes down.

That would be incorrect. Huesman is tha backup. DBG will RS this year.

[ah59396]

I think it might come down to ensuring that no one individual is bigger than the program as a whole. As long as the football team is a well-oiled machine, you will always have your pick of high quality candidates to take the reigns over perennial dumpster fire programs. As I said earlier, UCS, NDSU and Boise State all had coaching changes and they're still running through their competition.

Don't think for a moment that when the opportunity to take the reigns of a top-25 caliber team with multiple bowl wins and conference championships arises that we won't have the pick of the lot. And whoever is next up will realize what the expectations of this team is going to be. It'll be an attractive job to be had.

This is the correct mindset. Obviously having a great coach matters, but we must cultivate a winning culture that transcends whoever is at the helm.

Remember when NIU went to the Orange Bowl??? They had a 2 year blip of being incredible in Dave Doeren’s final year, then the following season after he left, then slowly trended back to being another .500 MAC team. Like they were for 50 seasons before that blip.

[InFor6More]

Love Drink but he ain’t here because he loves Boone and the crisp mountain air.....he gone.

[WASU 93]

Love Drink but he ain’t here because he loves Boone and the crisp mountain air.....he gone.

Insightful and fact-based. Love the analysis!

[yosef69]

I know we’ve got some time. This team was built by coaches that are over at Louisville now. However, Drinkwitz and his staff are doing a damn good job building on what was inherited. If Drinkwitz can recruit as good as he can coach, offers are going to be flying in!

My hopes are that Drinkwitz is looking at the bigger picture and a future with App. Hopefully he sees what can come from this seasoned team in its infancy of a FBS football transition. We need someone that can continue our growth and get us ready should another alignment happen. I think Drinkwitz is that guy.

The question is... how does a team in the Sunbelt hold on to someone like Drinkwitz. Assuming we can’t pay what some of these P5 conference teams can offer, how do we keep App from being a stepping stone school for coaches.

If Zac Thomas get a significant injury. One play away from going in the crapper.

Not necessarily. Given our running game and the receiving corps, I think that we can be alright. The offense that Drink ran at State is right for Huesman’s game.

Huesman has been a signal caller. I don’t believe he’s the backup anymore. David Baldwin from IMG Academy will probably come in if Zac goes down.

That would be incorrect. Huesman is tha backup. DBG will RS this year.

Depending how this game goes, we could see him get one of his 4 games in this weekend.

[InFor6More]

Love Drink but he ain’t here because he loves Boone and the crisp mountain air.....he gone.

Insightful and fact-based. Love the analysis!

Thanks! I have a limited amount of time that I can dedicate to this board so might as well cut straight to the point and not waste your all’s time either....he gone.

[General Moore]

Y'all are nuts and this topic is no bueno.
Drink has to prove himself for 3 years at the very least. He needs to hone his craft as head man and really find his rythm as top dog. He knows that, and ya'll should know that...
C'mon man.

[Black Saturday]

WoW! Diametrically opposed newbies or 2 of our regular guys with other aliases?

[AppSt94]

WoW! Diametrically opposed newbies or 2 of our regular guys with other aliases?

I don’t have time for multiple personalities. That’s my wife’s expertise.

[Gonzo]

I’m hope some of these dudes aren’t as premature in the bedroom as they are with their hot takes on App.

[appstatealum]

App State football will always be bigger than the coach.

[Yosef84]

This is a pretty useless mid-season discussion. Anyone who knows anything about college football knows that, IF a major program comes courting, there's not really anything we can do to oppose them. We simply don't have the budget. Nobody who takes this job is taking it for life...NOBODY! These young coaches are building careers and reputations. They have families. They don't owe us a life-time commitment. All they owe us is their full commitment while they're here. I don't think anybody on this board doubts that we're getting that from Coach Drink.

Jerry Moore was awesome, but his situation was unique and frankly, Appalachian stumbled into a perfect situation. He was older than Drink for one thing but the bigger factor was that he had been a head coach already at a major program (Texas Tech) and had basically failed. He had left coaching and was working as a volunteer assistant when App hired him....not exactly the normal recruiting grounds. Coach Moore found a home and he thrived. He had experienced the meat grinder and didn't want it. He was the perfect man at the perfect place at the perfect time....or as close as it comes to that in the real world. It's not likely to happen that way again.

Chances are that Coach Drink will be here for another year or two at least. I doubt he is looking to jump to another G5. His youth is in our favor, but it all boils down to opportunity. If the right opportunity opens up and they come for him, we will likely be looking for another coach. Until then, let's just enjoy what we have!

[appstate77]

Right now, me included, App Nation thinks Drink is the most wonderful coach on Earth. I've actually began swilling Diet Dew on a daily basis. But remember, he will lose a football game. It may not be soon but we will lose a game with Drink at the wheel. I'm hoping, when this happens, the Board isn't flooded with calls for his head.
It's football folks, not world peace.

With my 2 cents offered, you can add $4.48 and stop by Starbucks.

[NewApp]

WoW! Diametrically opposed newbies or 2 of our regular guys with other aliases?

One is me. I’ll let you guess which one.












Just kidding.

[Black Saturday]

WoW! Diametrically opposed newbies or 2 of our regular guys with other aliases?

One is me. I’ll let you guess which one.

Kind of like Voldemort in Harry Potter ? - "He who shall not be named"










Just kidding.

[InFor6More]

I am not really that new to the board, just haven’t been that vocal in the past. At heart, I am as wishful as some of you that Drink may stay for a couple more years but I do feel like we have a budding star and the middling P5’s who may feel the need to jump ahead of the curve in order to become more relevant may be willing to pursue Drink even though he hasn’t gone through the adversity that you might normally want to see and even though he hasn’t had a chance to prove that he can successfully maintain and elevate a schools recruiting standards over an extended period of time. That is the driver behind what at least one person called a hot take in my ‘He gone’. It’s not a hot take, just a very real possibility that I believe will come to fruition in December.