BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State head coach
Eliah Drinkwitz closed Tuesday's practice by telling center
Ivan Reyes and defensive end
Tommy Dawkins that they needed to stick around for a second to work out a meal plan issue.
It didn't take long for Dawkins to pick up on that clue. The two walk-on players were being awarded football scholarships.
Reyes actually found out before Tuesday's practice, but the postpractice announcement came as a surprise to Dawkins.
"I had no clue," he said. "It's just relief knowing school is paid for. I've had to sacrifice a lot, so it's a good feeling."
"When Coach talked to me and gave me the news, I was out of words," Reyes said. "I had all practice to process it, so I hope I had a good one today."
Dawkins, whose father played for both App State and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1980s, is one of the Mountaineers' top returning defensive ends. After graduating from Cox Mill High School near Concord, he played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017 and was limited to two Sun Belt games last season because of injury.
Reyes attended St. Stephens High School in Hickory, made his App State debut against Savannah State as a redshirt freshman in 2017 and played in five more games last season.
Early Tuesday, offensive line coach
Shawn Clark texted Reyes saying he needed the lineman to visit his office at around 1:15 p.m. Unsure if he had done something wrong, Reyes began texting other linemen to see if a position meeting or film session had been scheduled without his knowledge.
Instead, after Clark delivered a few jokes to keep Reyes on edge, he received the good news from Drinkwitz. After practice, senior
Victor Johnson congratulated Reyes and told him, "That's hard work, baby." Moments later, Clark embraced Reyes.
"Working hard every day, coming in as a walk-on freshman, just working my way up, it means the world," Reyes said. "I'm truly blessed."
