#10Strong Series: Defensive Backs Preview

"We've got a lot of great guys in our group. Guys look up to me, but I look up to them as well because they're all such great players. I know what they can do, and it's on all of us to push each other and try to be as good as we can."
     — Josh Thomas, App State Junior, Defensive Backs
 
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 Saturday's opener at No. 9 Penn State focuses on the defensive backs, with junior Josh Thomas serving as that group's representative on the panel.
 
The secondary has two returning cornerbacks (Clifton Duck, Tae Hayes) and two returning safeties (Desmond Franklin, Thomas) who started games last season.
 
"I know we've got a lot of talent, so it's just telling them to stay positive in whatever we're doing and always having a purpose," Thomas said. "If that's individual work or we're doing a walkthrough, whatever we're doing, pay attention and stay focused and it'll translate to the team periods. I feel that we've done throughout camp."
 
Penn State will certainly challenge App State's defense, as quarterback Trace McSorley averaged 274.6 passing yards per game during a 2017 season in which he threw 28 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions.
 
Bryan Brown will still coach the cornerbacks after being promoted to defensive coordinator of the Mountaineers, who rank No. 2 nationally with 56 interceptions since the start of the 2015 season. Brown's cornerbacks have an FBS-leading 30 picks as a group during that time.
 
Duck has accounted for more than a third of that total by himself, as he is tied for first place nationally with 11 interceptions in the last two seasons. A second-team preseason All-American by the Street and Smith publication, Duck recorded six interceptions, 50 tackles and one sack as a sophomore in 2017.
 
Hayes, meanwhile, earned All-Sun Belt first-team honors from the PFF College Football site last season after posting four interceptions, 16 passes defended (No. 2 in the Sun Belt, No. 18 nationally), 53 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Duck and Hayes had three interceptions apiece against New Mexico State to tie the school record.
 
The primary depth comes from sophomore Shemar Jean-Charles, who played frequently as the team's third cornerback last season, as well as two redshirt freshmen (Shaun Jolly, Steven Jones) and junior college transfer A.J. Beach. The Mountaineers' other newcomers at that position are freshman Mike Price and walk-on Zion Madden.
 
"It's a veteran group," Brown said. "The guys have done a great job, and they're competing every day, studying a lot of film and coming to me with ideas. I'm pretty pleased with where they are right now."
 
Elsewhere in the secondary, Thomas started the first three games of 2017 at free safety before missing the final nine games with an injury. Franklin started the final 10 games at free safety and is the projected starter at that spot, with Thomas moving over to strong safety in 2018.
 
In addition to those two juniors, there is more experience and talent available to first-year safeties coach Greg Gasparato, who worked as a defensive graduate assistant at App State from 2013-14 and spent the previous three seasons as the inside linebackers coach at FCS power Wofford.
 
Austin Exford, a senior who has appeared in 28 career games, will contribute at safety and possibly outside linebacker. The same is true for redshirt freshman Ryan Huff, and sophomore Kaiden Smith is a versatile player who was named the Dollar General Bowl's Special Teams MVP in 2017. He forced a fumble on a second-quarter kickoff return, and Exford's recovery helped the Mountaineers take a 20-0 lead in their 34-0 win against Toledo.
 
Jeremy Level is another returning player at safety, and the one newcomer at that position is freshman Kaleb Dawson, who also excels at special teams.