Here at App we win championships and have a tradition of winning! I believe Kerwin Bell is a coach that defines that! He’s been a winner his entire life. The former gator/SEC player of the year Played 13 years professionally. After retiring He won a state championship in high school as a coach in 4 years at a brand new school. Then took his first head coaching job at Jacksonville University, a team who had never had a winning record. In his 2nd year he won the conference championship and 2 more. Also lead the entire country in offense in 2010 while being in the top 10 other years! After Jacksonville not putting money into football he has since taken the job at D2 power house Valdosta State! Since Bell has left Jacksonville won only 2 games this season and has tanked dramatically! In 3 years at Valdosta State he has won the GSC Conference while going 12 and 0 this year. Bell’s team is playing in the final 4 this weekend to get to the National Championship! Valdosta fans are saying this could be the greatest d2 team ever that he had built. Valdosta State is leading the entire country in Points Per Game at 54.1 and 1st in many other categories! They have scored over 44 points in every game this season! They are averaging over 60 points in the playoffs. They have broke the conference record for most points scored in a season in only 12 games. Bell is doing this with a sophomore qb, 3 sophomore/freshman wrs and 2 freshman Rbs! The guy can coach and can recruit the south east! He knows how to build a championship culture! He has every where he has been! Also he’s the type of guy that would stay and keep building App State! I think he’s a guy we definitely should interview and consider!

No.

If we hire a D2 head coach, I will be very disappointed. You can get and keep almost any kind of player at Valdosta State…It is not remotely the same as this job. They load up on Dee one transfers, and Jucos.

The job he had before Valdosta was a non-scholarship position, so I don’t really know where you are getting the quote he can recruit” idea. Pretty clear you have a personal interest in this “candidate”.

If UNCC passed on him... I say HARD PASS

You still recruit to FCS non scholarship schools.....

Worth an interview I would think.

UNCC passed on him to get a 5-6 APSU coach. Bell is out of the box thinking and intriguing. Given UNCCs success they probably missed on this guy.

Is poster Jimmy Sexton? Joined yesterday 1 post. Jimmy didn’t you get paid enough off of Scott? You should endow a scholarship here.

Rekdiver wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:27 am

UNCC passed on him to get a 5-6 APSU coach. Bell is out of the box thinking and intriguing. Given UNCCs success they probably missed on this guy.

He's not remotely intriguing. He's a 53 year old coach who's never coached higher than FCS Non-Schol (and that was so challenging, he went to a D2 school!), with zero ties to the program. D2 coaches are not adequately prepared to run a FBS program, period. In D2, you can load up on partial qualifiers, FBS and FCS transfers, JuCo transfers, etc. We don't have that luxury...and it is not how you win at our level.

I would interview or at least do some additional research. There are good coaches at every level, however success at a comparable level should be given more weight. I'm not familiar with him at all. If he relies on transfers and fringe students then that may be a hard transition and not worth taking a chance on.

97APP wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:33 am

I would interview or at least do some additional research. There are good coaches at every level, however success at a comparable level should be given more weight. I'm not familiar with him at all. If he relies on transfers and fringe students then that may be a hard transition and not worth taking a chance on.

It's a fact of life at the D2 level, particularly at a public university in South Georgia that isn't particularly strong academically. I'm sure he's a fine coach - but we need to be aiming higher.

Guys who leave jobs like that usually go on to become OCs at FBS schools, which is what the last guy who left Valdosta did. That might be a better angle here.

Valdosta State is a great program, and he's doing a good job there. 12-0 this year and one of the highest points per game in all of college football. Never scored less than 44. It's pretty insane. But it is DII and he would be a hard sell.

appgrad wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:31 am

Rekdiver wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:27 am

UNCC passed on him to get a 5-6 APSU coach. Bell is out of the box thinking and intriguing. Given UNCCs success they probably missed on this guy.

He's not remotely intriguing. He's a 53 year old coach who's never coached higher than FCS Non-Schol (and that was so challenging, he went to a D2 school!), with zero ties to the program. D2 coaches are not adequately prepared to run a FBS program, period. In D2, you can load up on partial qualifiers, FBS and FCS transfers, JuCo transfers, etc. We don't have that luxury...and it is not how you win at our level.

In his wiki it says he worked under Steve Spurrier at Florida for a year before going back and playing. Coaches that have coached at Valdosta State - Mike Leach, Dana Holgorsen, Kirby Smart, Will Muschamp etc. I think because of playing so long and he’s always been a head coach it has taken him longer to move up because he hasn’t worked for anyone.

App1993 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:13 pm

appgrad wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:31 am

Rekdiver wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:27 am

UNCC passed on him to get a 5-6 APSU coach. Bell is out of the box thinking and intriguing. Given UNCCs success they probably missed on this guy.

He's not remotely intriguing. He's a 53 year old coach who's never coached higher than FCS Non-Schol (and that was so challenging, he went to a D2 school!), with zero ties to the program. D2 coaches are not adequately prepared to run a FBS program, period. In D2, you can load up on partial qualifiers, FBS and FCS transfers, JuCo transfers, etc. We don't have that luxury...and it is not how you win at our level.

In his wiki it says he worked under Steve Spurrier at Florida for a year before going back and playing. Coaches that have coached at Valdosta State - Mike Leach, Dana Holgorsen, Kirby Smart, Will Muschamp etc. I think because of playing so long and he’s always been a head coach it has taken him longer to move up because he hasn’t worked for anyone.

I just tried to post the list of names that had coached there...but it didn't take for some reason! John Wiley coached there too! The Air Raid really came to be known there after Mumme arrived from Iowa Wesleyan. He went straight from VSU to Kentucky.

Looking at their stats is interesting - very balanced. 3500 rush yards, 3200 pass yards.
I can't speak to what talent advantages they have - but there are quite a few transfers on their roster, and you aren't going to be better positioned geographically than they are...22 miles north of Florida line, right off I-75.

Like I said - I'd be interested in talking to him as an OC candidate...he's making $150k there, which is less than what we typically pay our best assistants.

appgrad wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:39 am

97APP wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:33 am

I would interview or at least do some additional research. There are good coaches at every level, however success at a comparable level should be given more weight. I'm not familiar with him at all. If he relies on transfers and fringe students then that may be a hard transition and not worth taking a chance on.

It's a fact of life at the D2 level, particularly at a public university in South Georgia that isn't particularly strong academically. I'm sure he's a fine coach - but we need to be aiming higher.

Guys who leave jobs like that usually go on to become OCs at FBS schools, which is what the last guy who left Valdosta did. That might be a better angle here.

Only 3 d1 Transfers start out of 22. In his videos he has stated he won’t be taking many transfers. Likes to develop high school talent. Why he was successful also at Jacksonville! The Qb is a high school kid from fort mill South Carolina. Doug Dickey grandson if anyone remembers him. Both all conference wrs were high school kids, one from Georgia and one from Miami Florida. Both true sophomores. All conference Freshman running back is a high school from Miami Florida, Defensive freshman of the year was a high school kid from Georgia

Last coach in d2 to put up offensive #s like this was Brian Kelly at Grand Valley State! Who’s now the Head coach at Notre Dame in the Final 4!

appgrad wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:20 am

No.

If we hire a D2 head coach, I will be very disappointed. You can get and keep almost any kind of player at Valdosta State…It is not remotely the same as this job. They load up on Dee one transfers, and Jucos.

The job he had before Valdosta was a non-scholarship position, so I don’t really know where you are getting the quote he can recruit” idea. Pretty clear you have a personal interest in this “candidate”.

To dismiss someone for the level that they coach at is a bit short sided. Keep in mind, his offense is operating against the same caliber of player so it is an apples to apples comparison. Think of in terms of Satt. He was winning against peer competition but not beating P5. Results are best viewed against like competition.

Thanks for stopping by Coach Kerwin.

Continued success, but we'll keep looking.

You don't pass up on interviewing qualified candidates because of their work history or you may miss out on something special. I'm sold on the argument that he is worth talking to. Scott didn't coach anywhere but App, FIU, and Toledo and managed to get App's head coaching gig, then move on to Louisville. This guy has now had great success at two places, one of which was in a situation similar to App in that they were a powerhouse and set up for continued success post the coaching change.

If he can recruit Florida, Georgia, and NC, he is worth talking with. If he can bring that offense to App with Thomas, Hennigan, Sutton, Evans/Williams Jr., and the offensive line, App may actually improve despite the coaching change.

Lol some of you sound just like Louisville fans on their message board.

This isn’t a regular d2 coach! This guy played at the highest level in the NFL, his offense is from a lot of nfl coaches. His knowledge he’s been around Spurrier and Pete Carrol as a player and was a OC in the CFL. Coached at d1aa for 9 years and won while breaking all of Jim Harbaugh records in the conference! (Harbaugh first coaching job was in Jacksonville’s Conference at San Diego) He’s only been at d2 for 3 years and has dominated.