BOONE, N.C. — App State Football begins the 2022 season with a Sept. 3 home opener against North Carolina.
Eighteen total players who started at least one game in 2021 return from a team that enjoyed a 10-win regular season and captured a Sun Belt East Division title during
Shawn Clark's second full season as head coach.
In previewing the season, here's a closer look at App State's offensive line:
OFFENSIVE LINE
Coached by
Geep Wade, who was hired in March, the offensive line brings back every 2021 starter except for center
Baer Hunter.
Three-time All-Sun Belt selection
Cooper Hodges is entering his fourth season as the starting right tackle, and
Anderson Hardy has started 16 straight games at left tackle.
Hodges appears on a regional cover of Phil Steele's college football preview magazine, although he joked they "had to put some kind of big guy on there" to pair alongside three skill position players.
"You have to produce on the field instead of being produced with accolades," Hodges said. "My goal is to keep my head down and earn what I want and work for it."
Hodges has been named a team captain for the second straight season. He's already started 39 games in his App State career — the most of any returning offensive or defensive player.
"I've watched how leaders operate here, watched how Noah Hannon and Vic Johnson and all those App State legends came through here and set an example, set the standard," Hodges said. "I'm just here to uphold that and leave my legacy. A legacy isn't about accolades and all that stuff. It's about championships and what these players do after me."
Isaiah Helms and
Damion Daley also return after starting last season at right guard and left guard, respectively, and newcomer
Bucky Williams is talented enough to also fill a valuable role at offensive guard. He was an FCS All-American at Austin Peay.
Redshirt freshman
Troy Everett has performed well at center, a spot that
Luke Smith and Helms are both capable of manning effectively.
"Interior depth, we have guys who can play center and guard, and our cohesiveness, a line isn't about one person being a standout player," Hodges said. "It's about the whole group being able to work together, communicate, get things done. I think having that experience, where I played next to Isaiah all of last season, and Damion played next to Anderson all of last season, we already have that cohesion built, and we've been able to build more of that with the newer guys."
Craig McFarland also has experience, with a capability of playing right guard or right tackle.
Markell Samuel has shown encouraging signs since he switched from defensive line to right tackle during preseason camp, and
Jaden Lindsay's potential is apparent on the right side of the line.
Left tackle
Jayden Ramsey, another redshirt freshman, is making strides at left tackle, and underclassmen such as
Seth Williams,
Austin Reeves and
Colston Powers continue to develop.
There's a lot of talent in place for Wade, who coached last season at Georgia Southern.
"Coach Wade is a good coach who wants what's best for his players," Hodges said. "He's bringing some new aspects and is doing some things differently, and, overall, he's a good fit here."
