Veteran played the best football of his career down the stretch of last season and hopes to ride the momentum into his senior campaign ... is expected to take the place of graduated all-Southern Conference inside linebacker Karl Anderson in the starting lineup alongside sophomore John Law ... possesses size and ability to be a key cog in the middle of the Mountaineer defense.

2013: After seeing minimal playing time over the first half of the season, was one of the Mountaineers’ best defensive players over the second half of the campaign ... began the season by being a healthy scratch in three of the first five games ... recorded a total of just three tackles in the two games that he did see action in ... worked into the lineup at the beginning of a spate of injuries for Law and took full advantage of the opportunity ... relieved Law early in the game at Furman and tallied nine tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and broke up a pass ... earned the start the following week against Georgia Southern and amassed a career-high 10 stops and recovered a fumble in Appalachian State’s 38-14 win ... went on to combine for 16 more stops over a two-game stretch at Georgia (7) and Wofford (9) ... closed the season with 43 tackles in nine games ... made three starts in place of Law at inside linebacker (Georgia Southern, at Georgia, at Wofford).

2012: Spent much of the season serving as the top backup to all-America middle linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough and contributing on kickoff coverage … recorded three tackles (two on defense, one on special teams) … made first stop of the season in 55-14 win over Coastal Carolina … had two key stops in Appalachian’s 31-28 road win over top-ranked Georgia Southern.

2011: Saw action in 10 games, primarily on special teams … made 17 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a sack … made only start in place of suspended starter Jeremy Kimbrough at No. 8 Wofford … had four tackles while quarterbacking the defense against the Terriers’ complicated triple-option attack … also had four tackles in collegiate debut, the season opener at Virginia Tech … got his first-career sack in rout over Savannah State … had two stops, including a half-tackle for loss, in homecoming win over Samford … also had two tackles in regular-season home finale against Western Carolina.

High School: Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com ... recorded 71 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a senior ... helped lead North Gwinnett to a perfect 11-0 regular season and the Georgia Region 7-5A championship in 2010 ... earned second-team all-region recognition ... coached by Bob Sphire.       

Personal: Full name is Brandon Dopirak McGowan ... born May 2, 1993 (20 years old) ... son of Lia Webster ... oldest of three siblings ... majoring in exercise science ... was a member of Southern Conference academic honor roll.