App State Lands Twelve on Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams

App State Lands Twelve on Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams
 
NEW ORLEANS – A league-best 12 Appalachian State Mountaineers, including Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Jalin Moore (Shelby, N.C./Crest), have been named to the 2017 Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference Football Teams, the league announced on Friday.
 
Moore was joined on the first team offense by senior wide receiver Shaedon Meadors (Duncan, S.C./Byrnes), guard Colby Gossett (Cumming, Ga./North Forsyth) and tackle Beau Nunn (York, S.C./ Work Comp.). Linebacker Eric Boggs (Belton, S.C./Belton-Honea Path), defensive tackle Tee Sims (Covington, Ga./Eastside) and cornerback Clifton Duck (Matthews, N.C./Butler) landed on the first team defense.
 
Quarterback Taylor Lamb (Calhoun, Ga./Calhoun) and tackle Vic Johnson (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) were named to the second team offense, joined by nose tackle Myquon Stout (China Grove, N.C./Carson), linebacker Devan Stringer (Gainesville, Ga./Gainesville), and placekicker Michael Rubino (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek) on the second team defense and special teams.
 
Moore, Lamb, and a wealth of experience on both sides of the ball are a big reason the Mountaineers, under fifth-year Head Coach Scott Satterfield (32-18 at App State), were picked as the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt by the league head coaches on Thursday. App is coming off a 10-3 season in which it claimed the program's first Sun Belt Conference championship and a second consecutive bowl win, a 31-28 win over Toledo the in 2016 Raycom Camellia Bowl.
 
Moore rushed for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to being named the 2016 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year. He burst onto the scene in the fourth game of the season, bulldozing Akron with 257 yards rushing and three touchdowns to earn Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors. He would rush for 100 yards or more in six consecutive games and in eight of App's next nine games.
 
Gossett and Nunn paved the way for a rushing offense that piled up 250.9 yards per game, the second-highest total in Sun Belt history, second only to App State in 2015. Gossett started every game, while Nunn missed two games late in the season, but returned for the Camellia Bowl win. On top of Moore's success, the duo helped then-senior Marcus Cox surpass 5,000 yards for his career and join Moore with over 1,000 yards rushing on the season.
 
Meadors earned a first-team nod after 45 catches for 716 yards as a junior. He had three consecutive 100-yard receiving games in the first half of Sun Belt play, also landing on SportsCenter's Top 10 with an acrobatic catch over a Georgia Southern defender in a late-October win.
 
Boggs, Sims, and Duck were part of a record-setting defense in '16. App allowed only 91 points per game (11.8) in Sun Belt play, the fewest allowed by any FBS team in conference play. The Mountaineers would finish in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense, total defense, and third-down defense, among others.
 
Boggs led App State with 98 tackles and double figures in stops in five games. Duck was named a USAToday Freshman All-American after recording five of App's 20 interceptions on the season. He was also named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Sims was among the national leaders in sacks early in the season, eventually earning All-Sun Belt honors with seven sacks.
 
Lamb begins his senior season with 63 career touchdown passes, needing 18 for the Sun Belt career mark. He is 27-9 as a starter entering his final year, the second most wins among active FBS quarterbacks. Johnson started every game in '16 protecting Lamb's blind side, earning Sun Belt All-Freshman Team honors.
 
Stout anchored the middle of App's 3-4, constantly drawing double teams to free up holes for the Mountaineers' linebacker in the front seven. Stringer is a three-year starter on the App defense and was third on the team in tackles last season and second with 45 solo stops.  
 
Rubino was rock-solid as a freshman, going a perfect 13-for-13 on field goals from inside of 40 yards with a long of 47. He was 47-of-48 on PATs.  
 
The Mountaineers open the 2017 season on Sept. 2 at Georgia. Kickoff is at 6:15 p.m. on ESPN.
 
Season tickets are available now to purchase now, online at appstatesports.com, by phone at 828-262-2079 or in person at the Appalachian State Athletics Ticket Office located at the Holmes Center. Office hours are Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 
2017 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Football Teams
 
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
Jalin Moore (Appalachin State, RB, Jr., Business)
 
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
Ja'Von Rolland-Jones (Arkansas State, DL, Sr., Sport Management)
 
First Team Offense
Brandon Silvers (Troy, QB, Sr., Sport & Fitness Management)
Jalin Moore (Appalachian State, RB, Jr., Business)
Larry Rose III (New Mexico State, RB, Sr., Individualized Studies)
Shaedon Meadors (Appalachian State, WR, Sr., Criminal Justice)
Penny Hart (Georgia State, WR, So., Exercise Science)
Emanuel Thompson (Troy, WR, Sr., Risk Management Insurance)
Blake Mack (Arkansas State, TE, Sr., Health Promotions)
Colby Gossett (Appalachian State, OL, Sr., Management)
Beau Nunn (Appalachian State, OL, Sr., History Education)
Jordan Rose (Idaho, OL, Sr., General Studies)
Noah Fisher (South Alabama, OL, Jr., Political Science)
Steven Rowzee (Troy, OL, Sr., Human Services)
 
First Team Defense
Tee Sims (Appalachian State, DL, Sr., Criminal Justice)
Ja'Von Rolland-Jones (Arkansas State, DL, Sr., Sport Management)
Aikeem Coleman (Idaho, DL, Sr., General Studies)
Joe Dillon (Louisiana, DL, So., General Studies)
Baron Poole (Troy, DL, Sr., Social Science)
Eric Boggs (Appalachian State, LB, Sr., Physical Education)
Kyle Wilson (Arkansas State, LB, Sr., Communication Studies)
Bryan London II (Texas State, LB, So., Management)
Clifton Duck (Appalachian State, DB, So., Business Management & Accounting)
Justin Clifton (Arkansas State, DB, Jr., Exercise Science)
Chandon Sullivan (Georgia State, DB, Sr., Journalism)
Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama, DB, Sr., Sports and Recreation Management)
 
First Team Special Teams
Stevie Artigue (Louisiana, K, Jr., Finance)
Payton Theisler (New Mexico State, P, So., Criminal Justice)
Blaise Taylor (Arkansas State, RS, Sr., Business Administration)
 
Second Team Offense
Taylor Lamb (Appalachian State, QB, Sr., Physical Education)
Xavier Johnson (South Alabama, RB, Sr., Interdisciplinary Studies)
Jordan Chunn (Troy, RB, Sr., Criminal Justice)
Dijon Paschal (Arkansas State, WR, Sr., Sport Management)
Keenan Barnes (Louisiana, WR, Jr., Sports Management)
Deondre Douglas (Troy, WR, Jr., Social Science)
Gabe Schrade (Texas State, TE, Sr., Finance)
Vic Johnson (Appalachian State, OL, So., Undecided)
Grant Horst (Louisiana, OL, Sr., Marketing)
Frank Sutton Jr. (ULM, OL, Sr., Kinesiology / Exercise Science)
Aaron Brewer (Texas State, OL, So., Electronic Media and Mass Communications)
Deontae Crumitie (Troy, OL, Jr., Criminal Justice)
 
Second Team Defense
Myquon Stout (Appalachian State, DL, Jr., Undecided)
Dee Liner (Arkansas State, DL, Sr., General Studies)
Mackendy Cheridor (Georgia State, DL, Sr., Economics)
Taboris Lee (Louisiana, DL, Sr., General Studies)
Devan Stringer (Appalachian State, LB, Sr., Business)
Tony Lashley (Idaho, LB, Jr., General Studies)
Darrell Songy (South Alabama, LB, Sr., Sociology)
Blaise Taylor (Arkansas State, DB, Sr., Business Administration)
Tracy Walker (Louisiana, DB, Sr., Sports Management)
Jaden Wright (New Mexico State, DB, Sr., Individualized Studies)
Kamryn Melton (Troy, DB, Sr., Social Science)
Kris Weatherspoon (Troy, DB, Sr., Psychology)
 
Second Team Special Teams
Michael Rubino (Appalachian State, K, So., Finance)
Evan Rabon (Coastal Carolina, P, Jr., History)
Xavier Johnson (South Alabama, RS, Sr., Interdisciplinary Studies)
 
-App State-