Ryan Smoot is in his third season with the Mountaineers, joining App State as an assistant coach in the fall of 2020. In addition to his work with the Mountaineers, Smoot has also served as the Head Coach of the Boone Bigfoots summer league team each of the past two seasons.

Primarily working with App State catchers, Mountaineer backstops tallied just five passed balls, good for third-fewest in the Sun Belt, in 53 games in 2022, while throwing out 22 would-be base stealers, good for a 38% caught-stealing rate. 
 
Smoot worked as a volunteer assistant at George Washington last season, helping the Colonials win eight of their first 13 games. His duties included coaching first base and working with George Washington's catchers, an experience he's also had while coaching camps in the Dominican Republic and Lexington, Va. The Colonials' catchers had only one passed ball during the abbreviated 2020 season after totaling 16 the season before he arrived.
 
Smoot was a catcher, first baseman and designated hitter during his college career at VMI in Lexington. He completed his college career in 2019 by playing in 52 games, driving in 18 runs, scoring 38 times and posting more walks (39) than strikeouts.
 
During his four-year career, Smoot played in 101 games at VMI and made 75 starts. He had a career fielding percentage of .995.
 
A native of Strasburg, Va., Smoot made the dean's list on multiple occasions at VMI and graduated in 2019 with a degree in Economics and Business. He earned all-state honors in baseball and was a three-sport standout during his prep career at Strasburg High School, where he helped the baseball program set school records for wins and consecutive wins.