Appalachian State fans and supporters can reach out to Director of Athletics
Doug Gillin each month with questions regarding Appalachian State Athletics. Please submit questions via email at
AskTheAD@appstate.edu.
JANUARY 2019 – ASK THE A.D.
Can you explain the process that went into hiring Eli Drinkwitz as the new football coach?
At Appalachian State, this is a top-25 position in college football, and we conducted a national search to find the right candidate to lead our program.
Eliah Drinkwitz aligns with our core values and is committed to academic, competitive and social excellence while also making the well-being of student-athletes a priority.
We already had a plan in place if or when the time came to hire a new coach. The holiday break in December, along with the new signing periods for football, made it important for us to conduct a thorough, national search in a compressed timeline. We were going through in-person interviews within four days and had our final interviews once we narrowed down our candidate list.
Once Coach Drinkwitz's contract was approved by Chancellor Sheri Everts and the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees in Boone, while we were in New Orleans preparing for the bowl game, we immediately announced him as the next leader of the Mountaineers' football program.
We are delighted to have Coach Drinkwitz and his family join our App State Family, and I couldn't be more excited about the future of App State Football.
Will there be a spring football game with a new staff in Boone?
With Coach Drinkwitz taking over during the December break, spring practices will begin a bit later than they have in previous years as the new staff starts establishing a foundation with our returning football student-athletes and works toward finalizing the 2019 recruiting class.
Spring practices are scheduled to begin in late February, and there are plans to hold an open scrimmage that fans can attend in Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday, March 30, near the end of the spring practice schedule. Stay tuned to AppStateSports.com for more details as plans for the spring are finalized.
When will construction on the new end zone project begin?
Coaches who had offices in Owens Field House already have moved out of the building, and many items have been removed from Owens for use as part of upgrades in other buildings on campus. Demolition and site prep for the construction of the end zone project will begin in mid-February.
How do I get tickets to the North Carolina or South Carolina road games this year?
Recently, we announced how Yosef Club members who have renewed their 2019 season tickets and club memberships can pre-order away game tickets. The 2019 schedule includes nonconference road games against North Carolina on Sept. 21 and South Carolina on Nov. 9.
We encourage everyone to purchase their tickets through the App State allotment, as doing so directly benefits App State Athletics.
Away game tickets can be purchased online by Yosef Club members once they have renewed their season tickets and memberships. Those tickets can also be purchased by phone at 828-262-2079 or in person at the Appalachian State athletics ticket office.
Thank you for your continued support of Appalachian State.
Go Mountaineers!
