App Family,
I hope you are all doing well. It's been an exciting spring semester for App State Athletics so far.
Good luck to Men's Basketball in tonight's quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Championships in Pensacola, Florida, and to our wrestlers competing for SoCon titles in Asheville! Congratulations to JohnMark Bentley's squad for earning a
regular-season SoCon Championship for the fourth time in the last five years and eighth time in the last 11. That is an elite level of winning!
Mountaineer student-athletes continue to represent the A with class and integrity. This past fall semester, they achieved a cumulative GPA above 3.0 for the
27th straight semester, while App State also brought home the
Sun Belt Conference's SAAC Community Impact Award. Our student-athletes' success inside and outside of competition remains a testament to our coaches recruiting first-class people, as well as the support system that surrounds their daily pursuit of excellence.
While college athletics headlines tend to focus on various challenges, there remains a core value of our enterprise that is about changing young people's lives through education and providing them a world-class collegiate experience. We are proud to be part of that at Appalachian State University!
The support of the App Family is vital to sustaining success across our athletics department. I'm proud to report that giving to our All for App initiative has exceeded $88 million toward a $100 million goal. We received significant contributions toward the Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility over the past year. If you haven't seen the progress of that facility, it's going up fast and remains on track to open this fall. We are in the advanced planning stages on Kidd Brewer Stadium east side renovation concepts. There is a lot of work to do as we continue our quest for comprehensive excellence in the changing landscape of college athletics. We need the support of the entire App Family.
The 2025 calendar year saw more than 9,000 Yosef Club or Student Yosef Club members give a total of $6.96 million to provide scholarships for student-athletes. We are thankful for each and every one. Please
renew your membership for 2026 and invite a friend to join the cause.
Football Preparing for 2026 Season
The football coaches and staff have worked hard this offseason to build a competitive roster for the 2026 season. I continue to be impressed with how head coach Dowell Loggains is attacking the new realities of college football to recruit and retain talent at a high level.
A few football recruiting notes:
- No. 1 high school signing class in Sun Belt history
- No. 2 incoming class among Group of 6 schools (high school + transfers)
- Highest-rated high school recruit in program history
- Signing class ranked higher than 14 Power 4 schools
App Nation will get a firsthand look at the Mountaineers on April 18 for our second annual spring football game – the Battle at The Rock. Stay tuned for more details and activities around that exciting day.
If you haven't already, don't forget to renew your football season tickets for 2026 by the April 15 deadline to
lock in current pricing for 2026 and 2027 and enjoy other exclusive benefits. If you were not a season ticket holder last year but are interested in becoming one, join the
2026 season ticket waitlist here.
Opportunities to Make a Lasting Investment
Building upon the generous and strategic investment of supporters, the growth of App State Athletics is exciting.
The next phase of growth will include such innovative partnerships as stadium and facility naming rights, on-field and on-court partner logos and jersey patches. We are committed to identifying partnerships that align with App State's values, will substantially grow resources for our sport programs, and can be displayed in tasteful ways.
Individuals and businesses who are interested in making a lasting impact can reach out to the Mountaineers Athletic Fund at
mountaineersathleticfund@appstate.edu or 828-262-7999 for more information.
Bringing Concerts and Special Events to the High Country
As we explore innovative ways to bring events to the High Country and generate additional revenue streams to benefit our sports programs and the local business community, we invite you to
join us for the March 26 Young the Giant concert at the Holmes Center.
Stay tuned for more upcoming concerts, comedy shows and the like in the High Country. We've received great feedback from previous events like concerts with Luke Combs, Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, as well as our first two Mountaineer Laughs comedy shows. We love seeing our App Family at events and introducing even more folks to what's great about visiting the High Country and supporting App State.
We are also evaluating all our fundraising and social events to maximize every opportunity to gather with our passionate fans and supporters. It's a new day, and we are looking to bring fresh, new energy to everything we do.
Be on lookout for Mountaineer Spring Tour dates soon. We are once again partnering with the Office of Alumni Engagement to travel around the region and visit you all where you live.
Lastly, mark your calendars for March 26 – the 2026 Appalachian State Giving Day. Formerly known as iBackAPP, it will be a special day for Mountaineers near and far to give back to the university we love and call home.
It's Great to be a Mountaineer!
Go App!
Doug Gillin
Director of Athletics
