BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State head football coach
Eliah Drinkwitz opened his first weekly press conference Monday with a newsworthy update: the team has three permanent captains for the 2019 season.
A team vote has led to seniors
Josh Thomas,
Victor Johnson and
Jordan Fehr being named permanent captains. There will be two additional game day captains who rotate throughout the season.
The announcement came five days before Drinkwitz makes his official debut as App State's coach with a season-opening home game against East Tennessee State. Kickoff at Kidd Brewer Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, and tickets are available to purchase
online, by phone at 828-262-2079 or in person at the App State athletics ticket office located in the Holmes Center.
"We're very excited to kick off the 2019 football season," Drinkwitz said. "Obviously, it's a very strong opponent and a very good opponent that has our entire team's focus."
ETSU went 8-4 last season, claimed a share of the Southern Conference title and appeared in the first round of the FCS playoffs. App State returns 10 of 11 offensive starters and six defensive starters from a 2018 team that went 11-2, won a third straight Sun Belt title, improved to 4-0 in bowl games and attained a Top 25 ranking for the first time in the program's brief FBS history.
Johnson, an offensive tackle, and Thomas, a safety, were also captains last season as juniors along with departed seniors
MyQuon Stout and
Jalin Moore.
Fehr is a senior linebacker who had 86 tackles and a team-high 5.5 sacks for a 2018 defense that ranked fourth nationally by allowing just 15.5 points per game. He averaged 8.6 tackles during the seven Sun Belt Conference games in which he was fully available last season, highlighted by a three-sack game at Coastal Carolina and a 15-tackle performance at Arkansas State.
Johnson started at left tackle in each of the previous three seasons and made the All-Sun Belt Conference first team each of the last two years. Named the league's best pass blocker by Lindy's, he's the most experienced member on an offensive line that has ranked in the top 25 nationally in both rushing yards per game and fewest sacks allowed for the last five years.
Thomas intercepted four passes last season for a defense that also set a Sun Belt Conference record with only 20 defensive touchdowns allowed and tied for first place nationally with only eight passing touchdowns allowed. He finished the year with 43 tackles.
