BOONE, N.C. – App State men's soccer coach
Brad Franks has been promoted to Associate Head Coach, head coach
Jason O'Keefe announced on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Franks heads into his third season with the Mountaineers.
"I am very excited to be able to promote Brad for all his efforts. I have known Brad for 15 years and have seen him grow tremendously during that time," O'Keefe said. "I was able to coach Brad at Elon University from 2007-2010. Our relationship has grown since then as he started his coaching career. He is a great person and has a very bright future in the game "
In Franks' first season with the Mountaineers, they posted their first winning season since 2012 with an 8-6-3 mark and a 2-1-1 record in the Sun Belt. App State also defeated then-No. 22 Coastal Carolina for its first win over ranked opponent since 2009. The Black and Gold at one point was one of only 19 undefeated teams in the nation.
"Brad has been a massive help here at App State in changing the direction of our program. He is involved in every aspect of the program and has helped us make great strides in his time here on the mountain," O'Keefe said. "We are lucky to have him here and I am very appreciative of all he has done and will continue to do to enhance our program and positively impact the lives of our student-athletes."
Franks played a pivotal role in the offense making a resurgence, posting an eight-goal increase from 2017 (12 goals) to 20 goals in 2018. The 20 goals scored were the most since the 2014 campaign. In addition, App State attempted 88 shots on goal, a vast improvement from the 53 shots on goal in 2017. The Mountaineers had seven players make the All-Sun Belt team, which were the most for App since 1980 and also led the conference.
The Mountaineers followed up the 2018 season with a standout 2019 campaign, posting 11 wins, the most for the Mountaineers since 2002, along with eight shutouts, the most clean sheets since 2011. Over the course of the season, App State took down four top-60 teams including Central Arkansas, High Point, Loyola Maryland and RV North Carolina. App State's win over the Tar Heels was its first since 1980, and marked the second straight season the Mountaineers beat a ranked team.
The Mountaineers consistently ranked in the top 10 of the Southeast region in the United Soccer Coaches poll, ranking as high as No. 4. App State's RPI took a huge leap as well, jumping from 145 in 2018 to 68 in 2019. The Mountaineers ranked as high as 43 in the RPI during the 2019 season. App State scored 26 goals over the course of the season, the most since 2009.
