"It was good to hear Coach Mike and Coach Satt open up and tell us stories. We can translate that to our teammates and make sure guys are being positive, buying into the program."
— Brad Absher, App State Senior, Wide Receivers
Moving forward from a 9-4 season in which Appalachian State claimed a second straight Sun Belt Conference title and a third consecutive bowl victory, the Mountaineers have adopted the #10Strong motto for 2018.
In the spring, head coach
Scott Satterfield and assistant athletics director of athletic performance
Mike Sirignano formed a leadership panel that included one player from each of the 10 assigned position groups and had weekly discussions about the contents of a Jon Gordon book called "The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy."
Today's position preview in the #10Strong Series leading up to the Sept. 1 opener at Penn State focuses on the receivers, with senior
Brad Absher serving as that group's representative on the panel.
His popularity was evident in how other App State team members reacted when Absher, a walk-on during his first four years in Boone, officially received a scholarship last week.
"I love those boys, and knowing that I have their respect and their support is an incredible feeling," Absher said.
Absher is the elder statesman for a relatively young but extremely talented group that's coached by
Justin Watts. Eligibility-wise, Watts' collection of sophomores includes
Thomas Hennigan,
Malik Williams,
Jalen Virgil and
Corey Sutton. Another sophomore,
Darrynton Evans, could contribute at several skill positions, while one newcomer with a track record of success is graduate transfer
Dominique Heath.
Absher,
Mock Adams and
A'Darius Purifoy, who have all made in-game catches during their App State careers, are also joined by one redshirt freshman (
Jake Henry), two true freshmen (
Braden Collins,
Richard Tucker) and four walk-ons (
Michael Queen,
Dysaun Razzak,
AJ Hall,
Trevion McCollum). Hall's father and two of Razzak's cousins played football for the Mountaineers.
"I've told them, 'Each of you were hand-picked to be in this room, so there's stuff about you that our staff and myself love,' " Watts said. "One thing we pride ourselves on is toughness, and I've seen each one of those guys play live. You're tough kids; let's show it."
Hennigan's seven touchdown catches in 2017 ranked second nationally among true freshman receivers at the FBS level, and Virgil's 18.2 yards per reception over the course of a full season ranks seventh in program history for a player with at least 20 catches. Sutton, another outside threat, is eligible this season after sitting out 2017 as a Kansas State transfer from Charlotte.
Like Hennigan, Williams had a starting role as a true freshman. He performed well in the slot, where Heath is most likely to contribute after playing three seasons at Kansas State. He's another Charlotte-area product.
"Our receiving corps, we've got guys that can catch the ball, we've got great route runners and we've got guys who can flat-out run down the field," Hennigan said. "It's a very good receiving corps and very talented. It's going to be exciting to watch."
With a dozen freshmen and sophomores among the team's 15 receivers, Absher's leadership in the receiving room takes on added importance.
"I enjoy it and take it as a big responsibility," Absher said. "Coach Watts has put a lot of faith and trust in me to do that. I'm doing everything I can to make sure guys are doing what they're supposed to."
