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 special teams:
SPECIAL TEAMS
Coordinated by
Brian Haines, App State's special teams will certainly have a new look following the departures of kicker
Chandler Staton, punter
Xavier Subotsch, kick returner
Jalen Virgil and punt returner
Thomas Hennigan.
Last season, App State ranked 16th nationally in overall special teams based on the Fremeau Efficiency Index (FEI) that combines kickoff return, kickoff, punt return, punt and field goal efficiency into one overall rating.
"We lost a lot of key guys, but there's a lot of key guys coming back, and I'm excited to see what they can do," Haines said.
Clayton Howell, one of three team members entering his sixth season in App State's program, is back as App State's starting punter after being a Freshman All-American in 2018, when he showed off a powerful leg. Subotsch served as the team's primary punter from 2019-21, producing tough-to-return kicks with good hang time or rugby-style execution.
The Mountaineers ranked in the top 25 nationally last year by allowing just 4.1 yards per punt return.
"I want to make the most of this year, and I'm going to put in as much work as a I can," Howell said. "I think we're going to have a great year."
After being the kickoff specialist as a true freshman,
Michael Hughes replaces Staton, who went 20 of 21 on field goals last season. Staton became App State's full-time kicker in the eighth game of the 2017 season and ended his career at No. 5 in FBS history with 464 career kicking points.
Hughes, who can deliver from long distances, has hit field goals from 55-plus yards in camp. Consistency on attempts from closer range is part of his development.
"I'm excited to finally put some points on the board," Hughes said with a smile. "Being under Chandler was a great experience for me, honestly. The physical side of things (with reps) is always something that takes a toll on kickers, but learning the mental side of the game from a sixth-year veteran like him, watching him do what he did last year, it was awesome."
In addition to long snapper
Christian Johnstone's return to the program — he's held that position for the last 40 games — App State has added another talented snapper in Oklahoma transfer
Jake Mann, who is from Chapel Hill, N.C.
First- and second-year transfers provide depth in the kicking game, with specialists such as kicker
Trey Schaneville (transferred from Florida Tech to App State in 2021) and punter
Conner Maynard (transferred from Miami of Ohio).
Austin Shook and
Carter Everett have also joined the team as kickers.
App State is seeking new weapons in the return game.
In the previous six seasons, Darrynton Evans (now a running back with the Chicago Bears) and Virgil (a Denver Broncos rookie) combined for six kickoff return touchdowns.
Milan Tucker,
Nate Noel and
Dexter Lawson Jr. are among the candidates to return kicks in 2021.
Hennigan was a reliable, sure-handed option as a punt returner, and he did score a touchdown against Charlotte as a returner in 2018. Transfers such as
Tyler Page (SMU),
Kaedin Robinson (UCF) and Lawson (Central Connecticut State) are among the options at punt returner, as Page's 182 punt return yards for SMU during the shortened 2020 season ranked 11th in the country.
Special teams are something the Mountaineers take seriously, whether it's veteran starters or still-developing underclassmen filling roles on those coverage and return units. Linebackers such as
Tyler Bird,
Logan Doublin and
Jourdan Heilig have been invaluable contributors, as each veteran
totaled more than 240 special teams plays in 2021 while participating on all four change-of-possession units — kickoff coverage, kickoff return, punt coverage and punt return.
