Hanging on for 26

[appstate24]

#41 Caleb Sandstrom (who came out of FCS) and #93 DeNigel Cooper are a couple of young DL players who gave us good reps the second half of the season.

Agree, both of these young men played well.

[AppinVA]

As a general rule, I see FCS players are hungry to prove themselves. Then there are the P5 players who couldn’t crack the two-deep for some reason. The G6 players who enter the portal are ones who run into the same issues once they get here, as they’re already on our competitive level. There are exceptions, but the portal players a step up, and especially a step down, have the chip on their shoulder.

[ASUFan4863]

A lot of people like to trash the “SEC rejects” slogan as if Cummings, Porter, Mbake, Dozier, Hasz, and Dubinion weren’t key players on this team. You have to find talent everywhere, including P4, FCS, JUCO and D2.

A glimmer of hope for 2026 is that the staff gets a full offseason. There will be no more excuses in 2026.

[AppSt94]

I am as disappointed as anyone but I have fond a few things to hang onto for 26. No I didn’t see the players or the coaching we will need to compete for Sunbelt championship. But I’m hanging onto three things for 2026. I did see individual players improve over the season. Just naming a few, Mbake, Phares and Kohl, yes I thought our final game was Kohl’s best. Phares is my most improved for the year. The team didn’t quite after the JMU loss. I have to admit that I thought they would pack it in. And lastly DJ Smith. No one can dispute that DJ Smith knows App culture and he knows what it takes to win. DJ left what had to have been a pretty good job to come back to App with Loggains. Am I saying DJ thought Loggains was the next Sabin, no. But one of Apps best thought enough of Loggains to become part of his team. See you guys in 2026.

I respect the optimism but the defense allowed Ark State to march down the field in under a minute for the game winning score. And if Smith is repping App culture then he needs to start speaking up during the coaches meetings

Hard to do your job when the HC/OC is in your ear telling you what to call each play.

[spacemonkey]

In the new world, I would recruit 1st string and 2nd string "football" players and then I would recruit the best athletes (Fast, strong or big....hopefully all of those) at that point and try to TEACH them football during the year. Hopefully by the time you start having injuries to your 1st and 2nd string "football" players, the "athletes" have learned to play a position or two. Also, these "athletes" should not be lost in the portal. You get a second year out of these "Athletes" that hopefully learn a position and you can build a long term team from. The game has changed. We have to decide how we are going to go at it and stick with the plan for 5 or 10 years. Changing plans every 2 years is going to keep getting us what we got this year.

[rbarthle17]

I am curious about how the portal is going to shake out for us, more in terms of who's going than coming. It's my belief that, given the current financial realities of college athletics, any player who has a statistically good season or better should be at least doing their due diligence in terms of seeing what opportunities are out there. Even if they end up staying, nobody should fault them for taking advantage of their situations.

I would love to say let's go find culture players, kids willing to stick around and be part of something bigger than them. That's who we used to get. I'm not sure those players exist in any meaningful way anymore. So we need to embrace our status as "train station in the middle of the route" and understand that we are the proving ground for players coming from both ways, but none of them should be thought of as building blocks other than their short term success will lead others to consider coming here for the same.

[Seattleapp]

I am as disappointed as anyone but I have fond a few things to hang onto for 26. No I didn’t see the players or the coaching we will need to compete for Sunbelt championship. But I’m hanging onto three things for 2026. I did see individual players improve over the season. Just naming a few, Mbake, Phares and Kohl, yes I thought our final game was Kohl’s best. Phares is my most improved for the year. The team didn’t quite after the JMU loss. I have to admit that I thought they would pack it in. And lastly DJ Smith. No one can dispute that DJ Smith knows App culture and he knows what it takes to win. DJ left what had to have been a pretty good job to come back to App with Loggains. Am I saying DJ thought Loggains was the next Sabin, no. But one of Apps best thought enough of Loggains to become part of his team. See you guys in 2026.

I respect the optimism but the defense allowed Ark State to march down the field in under a minute for the game winning score. And if Smith is repping App culture then he needs to start speaking up during the coaches meetings

Hard to do your job when the HC/OC is in your ear telling you what to call each play.

Hahaha. Good point!

[Bootsy]

I am curious about how the portal is going to shake out for us, more in terms of who's going than coming. It's my belief that, given the current financial realities of college athletics, any player who has a statistically good season or better should be at least doing their due diligence in terms of seeing what opportunities are out there. Even if they end up staying, nobody should fault them for taking advantage of their situations.

I would love to say let's go find culture players, kids willing to stick around and be part of something bigger than them. That's who we used to get. I'm not sure those players exist in any meaningful way anymore. So we need to embrace our status as "train station in the middle of the route" and understand that we are the proving ground for players coming from both ways, but none of them should be thought of as building blocks other than their short term success will lead others to consider coming here for the same.

Great observation; not sure we can assume the rising stars from the 2025 squad will stick around for another spin on the carousel. But that’s the case for most G5’s, right?

[Mjohn1988]

I am as disappointed as anyone but I have fond a few things to hang onto for 26. No I didn’t see the players or the coaching we will need to compete for Sunbelt championship. But I’m hanging onto three things for 2026. I did see individual players improve over the season. Just naming a few, Mbake, Phares and Kohl, yes I thought our final game was Kohl’s best. Phares is my most improved for the year. The team didn’t quite after the JMU loss. I have to admit that I thought they would pack it in. And lastly DJ Smith. No one can dispute that DJ Smith knows App culture and he knows what it takes to win. DJ left what had to have been a pretty good job to come back to App with Loggains. Am I saying DJ thought Loggains was the next Sabin, no. But one of Apps best thought enough of Loggains to become part of his team. See you guys in 2026.

I respect the optimism but the defense allowed Ark State to march down the field in under a minute for the game winning score. And if Smith is repping App culture then he needs to start speaking up during the coaches meetings

Hard to do your job when the HC/OC is in your ear telling you what to call each play.

Hahaha. Good point!

Is this something you guys know was happening?

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

In the new world, I would recruit 1st string and 2nd string "football" players and then I would recruit the best athletes (Fast, strong or big....hopefully all of those) at that point and try to TEACH them football during the year. Hopefully by the time you start having injuries to your 1st and 2nd string "football" players, the "athletes" have learned to play a position or two. Also, these "athletes" should not be lost in the portal. You get a second year out of these "Athletes" that hopefully learn a position and you can build a long term team from. The game has changed. We have to decide how we are going to go at it and stick with the plan for 5 or 10 years. Changing plans every 2 years is going to keep getting us what we got this year.

Brian Quick comes to mind

[ncman071]

i think next season....we go 9-3 with a championship team in 27

[Schundy38]

Way too early for me to judge. Yes, this year was plain ugly. Mack Brown won 6 games his first year. We were blown out at Furman and Western. Sparky Woods went three and eight. We lost at a very bad VMI team. Jerry had a rough first year but did the most with what he had.. We all were ready to run Satterfield out. His fist season we lost to A&T and Charleston Southern. We were 1-5 in his second season when he turned it around. If year two is bad then let the chips fall we're they may.

[Cro-Magnon App]

The rules were different then. There were rules.

[AppSt94]

I am as disappointed as anyone but I have fond a few things to hang onto for 26. No I didn’t see the players or the coaching we will need to compete for Sunbelt championship. But I’m hanging onto three things for 2026. I did see individual players improve over the season. Just naming a few, Mbake, Phares and Kohl, yes I thought our final game was Kohl’s best. Phares is my most improved for the year. The team didn’t quite after the JMU loss. I have to admit that I thought they would pack it in. And lastly DJ Smith. No one can dispute that DJ Smith knows App culture and he knows what it takes to win. DJ left what had to have been a pretty good job to come back to App with Loggains. Am I saying DJ thought Loggains was the next Sabin, no. But one of Apps best thought enough of Loggains to become part of his team. See you guys in 2026.

I respect the optimism but the defense allowed Ark State to march down the field in under a minute for the game winning score. And if Smith is repping App culture then he needs to start speaking up during the coaches meetings

Hard to do your job when the HC/OC is in your ear telling you what to call each play.

Hahaha. Good point!

Is this something you guys know was happening?

I’ve been told by multiple independent sources that there is friction and that DLo meddles with DJ’s play calling. To be fair, any singular source would be taken with a grain of salt, but multiple people saying the same thing is something to consider.

[Seattleapp]

i think next season....we go 9-3 with a championship team in 27

I’ll have what you’re drinking

[ASUFan4863]

I respect the optimism but the defense allowed Ark State to march down the field in under a minute for the game winning score. And if Smith is repping App culture then he needs to start speaking up during the coaches meetings

Hard to do your job when the HC/OC is in your ear telling you what to call each play.

Hahaha. Good point!

Is this something you guys know was happening?

I’ve been told by multiple independent sources that there is friction and that DLo meddles with DJ’s play calling. To be fair, any singular source would be taken with a grain of salt, but multiple people saying the same thing is something to consider.

I think this fan base just likes to talk and spread rumors. Whenever the offense struggled in previous seasons, it was always because there were rumors the HC was in the OCs ear. After 2019, a few people believed Clark actually called plays for Drinkwitz. The point being that people will spread rumors to fit whatever their agenda is, good or bad. I have an extremely hard time believing Loggains told Smith which plays to call.

[Seattleapp]

Hard to do your job when the HC/OC is in your ear telling you what to call each play.

Hahaha. Good point!

Is this something you guys know was happening?

I’ve been told by multiple independent sources that there is friction and that DLo meddles with DJ’s play calling. To be fair, any singular source would be taken with a grain of salt, but multiple people saying the same thing is something to consider.

I think this fan base just likes to talk and spread rumors. Whenever the offense struggled in previous seasons, it was always because there were rumors the HC was in the OCs ear. After 2019, a few people believed Clark actually called plays for Drinkwitz. The point being that people will spread rumors to fit whatever their agenda is, good or bad. I have an extremely hard time believing Loggains told Smith which plays to call.

Yeah Loggains doesn’t seem like the guy who thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room at all

[AppSt94]

Hard to do your job when the HC/OC is in your ear telling you what to call each play.

Hahaha. Good point!

Is this something you guys know was happening?

I’ve been told by multiple independent sources that there is friction and that DLo meddles with DJ’s play calling. To be fair, any singular source would be taken with a grain of salt, but multiple people saying the same thing is something to consider.

I think this fan base just likes to talk and spread rumors. Whenever the offense struggled in previous seasons, it was always because there were rumors the HC was in the OCs ear. After 2019, a few people believed Clark actually called plays for Drinkwitz. The point being that people will spread rumors to fit whatever their agenda is, good or bad. I have an extremely hard time believing Loggains told Smith which plays to call.

I don’t disagree with you that fans will say stuff. Thing is, these weren’t folks that you would consider to be “fans”.

[AppSt94]

i think next season....we go 9-3 with a championship team in 27

That’s a tall order. Road games at State, ECU, Marshall, Coastal and Southern. Can’t really assess the competition until after portal and spring ball, but looking at it as is now, those are going to be challenging games.

[Stonewall]

The Portal giveth and the Portal taketh away. Announcements forthcoming .