2026 Sun Belt Preseason Awards and Poll

[mike87]

Our State Magazine cover

My tailgate in the article.

[T-Dog]

She got the job at a time when bills came due and made some tough decisions. She also was a driving force in the Sunbelt and largely responsible for handling the expansion. I could list a lot of other things she accomplished despite life threatening health challenges. It is my opinion however that it was time for her to move on perhaps a bit past time.I certainly wish her well.

Largely my thoughts on Sheri as well. She navigated the university very well for most of her tenure. Had some public missteps early, but tried to remedy them. Like Dowell, some never liked her for whatever reason. She's a major reason why the Sun Belt East Division has App State in the center of it. She's the main reason Coastal is in the Sun Belt. The state mandated 20,000 students by 2020 and that happened. App State getting a Carnegie classification after her tenure was due to a lot of building blocks she laid down. App State Hickory is to be seen, but the idea and vision makes sense.

Sheri's last two-ish years, however, were bad. She moved to Hickory for those health challenges, which didn't help. The tunnels, the original financing and presentation of the new Indoor Facility, the 911 Center (this was a big one), how certain faculty groups were treated, butting heads with the football staff and much more. Heather had a lot of work to do and went from basically taking a retirement job as the interim to being the permanent chancellor.

[AppStFan1]

Again, I don’t know that anyone doesn’t like him. I’m sure that there are some who are resistant to warming up to him because they either a)wanted someone else, or b) felt like he was a bad hire to begin with. I fall closely into b as I have stated, I don’t know how he was a candidate. That being said, I have no problem with Dowell, the person. Nice guy, and personable.

He has rubbed people the wrong way with such things as not engaging with the donors or fans in settings that called for such interactions. Examples being coming to Mountaineer Talk right before going on, and leaving right when his segment was over. Another was during the Yosef Tour after he was hired. He worked the room with Noland and Mark very close by to limit access to him. He would speak and then go skulk off to a corner with Nolan and Mark. Maybe those situations make him uncomfortable and he is better suited to one on ones. He has also spoken with male donors while completely dismissing their spouse in the conversation. Again, probably a social cue thing and some tunnel vision. None of this has anything to do with winning football games but it does matter when you rely on others to support your program.

Then you have the antics on the sidelines of the JMU game. It was shall we say “not a good look”.

Dowell won’t be fired after this season unless it’s some sort of with cause situation. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t be let go in a manner that look like a mutual parting of the ways. Neither he or Gillin want a firing after two years stigma over their head.

I don't think people out there don't like him but more not liking how he does not work a room. From what I heard from folks who know him and from my interactions with him I don't think he is comfortable in those settings. Some coaches are good with media and boosters and some are Xs and Os type guys who are good with players and families. I do think he is not good with social cues and all but I think these boosters have to remember that Loggains is here for himself and his family and his staff to move up the ladder while we are just worried about our program.

We should not have our support hinge on whether he is good in those settings or not. When he is gone the program will still be here so fans should support the program.

I really think that Loggains has to return unless there is a cause situation like you said. It will look bad to move on after 2 years. I think you have to give a coach 3 years, at least, and ideally 4 unless it is just a circus around the program.

[Seattleapp]

Again, I don’t know that anyone doesn’t like him. I’m sure that there are some who are resistant to warming up to him because they either a)wanted someone else, or b) felt like he was a bad hire to begin with. I fall closely into b as I have stated, I don’t know how he was a candidate. That being said, I have no problem with Dowell, the person. Nice guy, and personable.

He has rubbed people the wrong way with such things as not engaging with the donors or fans in settings that called for such interactions. Examples being coming to Mountaineer Talk right before going on, and leaving right when his segment was over. Another was during the Yosef Tour after he was hired. He worked the room with Noland and Mark very close by to limit access to him. He would speak and then go skulk off to a corner with Nolan and Mark. Maybe those situations make him uncomfortable and he is better suited to one on ones. He has also spoken with male donors while completely dismissing their spouse in the conversation. Again, probably a social cue thing and some tunnel vision. None of this has anything to do with winning football games but it does matter when you rely on others to support your program.

Then you have the antics on the sidelines of the JMU game. It was shall we say “not a good look”.

Dowell won’t be fired after this season unless it’s some sort of with cause situation. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t be let go in a manner that look like a mutual parting of the ways. Neither he or Gillin want a firing after two years stigma over their head.

I don't think people out there don't like him but more not liking how he does not work a room. From what I heard from folks who know him and from my interactions with him I don't think he is comfortable in those settings. Some coaches are good with media and boosters and some are Xs and Os type guys who are good with players and families. I do think he is not good with social cues and all but I think these boosters have to remember that Loggains is here for himself and his family and his staff to move up the ladder while we are just worried about our program.

We should not have our support hinge on whether he is good in those settings or not. When he is gone the program will still be here so fans should support the program.

I really think that Loggains has to return unless there is a cause situation like you said. It will look bad to move on after 2 years. I think you have to give a coach 3 years, at least, and ideally 4 unless it is just a circus around the program.

Throughout this entire DLO debate you keep coming back to folks not liking DLO because according to you, he doesn’t schmooze enough. One ironic thing to this is he comes across as the biggest used car salesman ever in interviews, so if he is aloof or standoffish then he looks even more phony. But that’s not my point. My actual point and I can only point to myself as someone who’s never come in contact with DLO, but as someone who saw
The product on the field last year. That’s why i and I suspect the vast majority of other fans are wary of this hire. It’s got nothing to do with his glad handing and everything to do with his actual coaching ability. If the team lays an egg this season then the temperature under his seat needs to warm and warm quickly. Like you said, he’s paid to win games. Trying to change the narrative to his lack of people skills feels like moving the goalposts if you’ll pardon the expression. And if he’s here for himself to move up the ladder, I don’t really see why we need to circle the drain hoping he might figure it out in year five.

[AppDub]

No way I would want to be a college coach these days. Expectations to win immediately and with sustained success as staff and players leave in droves each year is a bit unrealistic in my mind...especially at this level. More struggle than not in the G5 to sustain any amount of success. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had 30+% turnover each year among my employees. Yep, the coaches sign up for it. Yep, they get paid well. But nope, it isn't easy and I'm willing to give a guy and his staff more than 1 year to prove himself before I label them ineffective.

[AppSt94]

No way I would want to be a college coach these days. Expectations to win immediately and with sustained success as staff and players leave in droves each year is a bit unrealistic in my mind...especially at this level. More struggle than not in the G5 to sustain any amount of success. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had 30+% turnover each year among my employees. Yep, the coaches sign up for it. Yep, they get paid well. But nope, it isn't easy and I'm willing to give a guy and his staff more than 1 year to prove himself before I label them ineffective.

The expectations to win immediately are mostly driven by fans that have no true skin in the game. Administrations and coaches understand what it actually takes to win and what is there to make that happen.

Coaches don’t like what has come of NIL but most choose the route of focusing on the coaching of who is here.

Coaching is no different than the regular corporate world. Sometimes a hire is a bad hire. The record on the field isn’t the sole indicator.

[AppStFan1]

No way I would want to be a college coach these days. Expectations to win immediately and with sustained success as staff and players leave in droves each year is a bit unrealistic in my mind...especially at this level. More struggle than not in the G5 to sustain any amount of success. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had 30+% turnover each year among my employees. Yep, the coaches sign up for it. Yep, they get paid well. But nope, it isn't easy and I'm willing to give a guy and his staff more than 1 year to prove himself before I label them ineffective.

The expectations to win immediately are mostly driven by fans that have no true skin in the game. Administrations and coaches understand what it actually takes to win and what is there to make that happen.

Coaches don’t like what has come of NIL but most choose the route of focusing on the coaching of who is here.

Coaching is no different than the regular corporate world. Sometimes a hire is a bad hire. The record on the field isn’t the sole indicator.

100%. People see what Cig did at Indiana and expect it to be like that everywhere.

[AppDub]

No way I would want to be a college coach these days. Expectations to win immediately and with sustained success as staff and players leave in droves each year is a bit unrealistic in my mind...especially at this level. More struggle than not in the G5 to sustain any amount of success. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had 30+% turnover each year among my employees. Yep, the coaches sign up for it. Yep, they get paid well. But nope, it isn't easy and I'm willing to give a guy and his staff more than 1 year to prove himself before I label them ineffective.

The expectations to win immediately are mostly driven by fans that have no true skin in the game. Administrations and coaches understand what it actually takes to win and what is there to make that happen.

Coaches don’t like what has come of NIL but most choose the route of focusing on the coaching of who is here.

Coaching is no different than the regular corporate world. Sometimes a hire is a bad hire. The record on the field isn’t the sole indicator.

Yep. And while sometimes a hire is a bad hire, one year is too small of a sample size to make that call in the world of football in my opinion.

[spacemonkey]

One thing is for sure...coaches are going to need to know how much NIL money is available before making their decision to coach at "X" university. We have to get that in order and worry about that more than the coach can. If we are 6th in NIL money in our division, then a 6th place finish is almost acceptable. If it is number 1 in NIL money in the Sunbelt. Number 1 should be expected. The talent at our level is going to change hands each year. I would describe it as a poker table. You are going to get a new set of cards each year until rules are changed. NIL money raise is more important than a coach hire now.

[Stonewall]

We have close to zero NIL. Similar to our conference mates.

[mike87]

We have close to zero NIL. Similar to our conference mates.

I'll take tallest Pygmy in the tribe all day as long as we stay at the top of the Sunbelt.

[Stonewall]

We have to get back there first.

[BambooRdApp]

Thought we were the FunBelt..
Not a single team in the list.

[BUTCH1991]

Ouch

[Stonewall]

Opinions are like ….

[MrCraig]

Thought we were the FunBelt..
Not a single team in the list.

Well, we get a chance to make the #6 team less exciting on September 12th.

[AppStFan1]

Opinions are like ….

Exactly.

[t4pizza]

I see nothing wrong with that take. Does anyone really think we had an exciting brand of football to watch last year, or even the year before? Why would any media member think things would change? Time for DLo and the team to prove the naysayers wrong.

[AppStFan1]

I see nothing wrong with that take. Does anyone really think we had an exciting brand of football to watch last year, or even the year before? Why would any media member think things would change? Time for DLo and the team to prove the naysayers wrong.

I think Stonewall's point is that is their take and everyone has their own opinion. Sure we were not exciting last year but their opinion really does not matter to us. 2026 is a new year and we will still watch our team regardless of what some random website says.

It is time for Loggains and the team to prove a naysayer wrong. Maybe LANK can be our acronym for this year. Let A Naysayer Know. lol

[BambooRdApp]

You all are taking the original post a little too seriously..