BOONE, N.C. – Not only does App State Football excel on the field (e.g., fifth-best overall record of any FBS team since 2015 and 6-0 record in bowl games), but its student-athletes are high-achieving in the classroom, as well.
Four Mountaineers were named to the 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-District® 3 team Thursday – offensive lineman
Noah Hannon, wide receiver
Thomas Hennigan, defensive back
Kaiden Smith and defensive lineman
Caleb Spurlin. As a whole, App State's football team maintains a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
The four App State selections advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First- and second-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early July. To be eligible for Academic All-District® selection, each nominee had to boast a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better and be a significant contributor to the team on the field. District 3 comprises Division I college football teams from North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Hannon, Hennigan, Smith and Spurlin all received All-Sun Belt Conference recognition after helping the Mountaineers go 9-3 and win their sixth straight bowl game last season.
Hannon, who started all 52 games at center in his four-year App State career, was a three-time All-Sun Belt selection and ranked among the top 10 FBS centers in Wins Above Average, according to PFF College. He graduated cum laude (3.57 GPA) in May with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and a minor in general business.
A two-time All-Sun Belt pick, Hennigan is returning for a super senior year in 2021 as one of App State's all-time leading receivers. He currently ranks fourth in catches, fourth in receiving yards and fifth in touchdown catches in the App State record books. He maintains a 3.53 GPA as a marketing (sales) major with a minor in finance and banking.
Smith is also returning for a super senior year after earning third-team All-Sun Belt honors in his first year as a starting safety. A repeat Academic All-District® selection, he boasts a 3.76 GPA as a communication (journalism) major with minors in media studies and new media and digital cultures. He is already an accomplished journalist with a podcast, pregame radio spot, UNCUT website and nationally distributed written articles.
Spurlin graduated cum laude (3.62) in December 2020 with a bachelor's in management and minor in leadership studies, while he currently carries a 4.0 GPA in pursuit of his MBA in supply chain management. On the field, he is returning as a starting defensive lineman who earned All-Sun Belt honorable mention last year. Playing both defensive end and goal-line H-back, he was the only FBS player in 2020 with multiple sacks (2.5) and multiple touchdown catches (2).
