Sun Belt Preview: Appalachian State, Texas State picked as favorites as season arrives

Appalachian State is looking to add another major achievement in the Sun Belt Conference this season. Maybe more than one.

Like another conference title. And perhaps a spot in the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff.

Appalachian State was picked to win the Sun Belt’s East Division in preseason selections, led by quarterback Joey Aguilar as expected offensive player of the year. Coach Shawn Clark believes his team is ready for something special.

Appalachian State, a school of about 19,000 in the Blue Ridge Mountains, has overcome long odds before, most memorably in 2007 when the then-FCS program defeated fifth-ranked Michigan in the Big House, 34-32. Since joining the Sun Belt, the Mountaineers have won two league crowns, in 2018 and 2019.

The Mountaineers enter the season with a lot of momentum after closing 2023 by winning six of their final seven games to go 9-5. Their only loss in that stretch came in the Sun Belt title game, losing 49-23 at Troy. But they rebounded by defeating Miami (Ohio) 13-9 in the Cure Bowl.

Clark said his team competed hard all season but did not get the breaks during a 3-4 start.

“I knew we had a great football team, but sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way,” he said. “It was a matter of conveying to our players that we were so close, and all we have to do is keep working.”

Led by Aguilar, there’s very little convincing to do about App State’s offense. Aguilar set school records with 3,757 yards, 33 touchdowns, 4,002 yards of total offense and 293 completions. Aguilar was overlooked by bigger programs, playing at Diablo Valley College in California before getting contacted by the Mountaineers.

“I’ve just got to make the most of this opportunity and we’ve got some unfinished business we’ve got to take care of next season,” Aguilar said.

And maybe add another milestone season to Appalachian State history.

If not Appalachian State, then who?

Texas State, in its second season under coach G.J. Kinne, was picked to win the West Division and bring its high-powered offense to the league title game.

The Bobcats led the Sun Belt with 36.7 points and 458.5 yards per game last season. Last year’s 8-5 record included a 45-21 win over Rice in the First Responder Bowl, Texas State’s first FBS bowl appearance.

Last year’s top Sun Belt team, James Madison, reached its first-ever bowl game and went 11-2 in just its second season as an FBS member. The Dukes, who saw coach Curt Cignetti leave for Indiana, were picked second in the East behind App State.

Two-time defending league champion Troy was picked second in the West. The Trojans lost their coach, too, with Jon Sumrall going to Tulane.

Players to watch

Aguilar is expected to dominate among offensive players. But he’s not alone. Jordan McCloud, the conference offensive player of the year in 2023 for James Madison, moved to Texas State, where he’s expected to lead a prolific offense that also includes Ismail Mahdi, who ran for 1,331 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

One-time Washington recruit Dylan Morris takes over at quarterback for the Dukes.

Linebacker Jason Henderson of Old Dominion is the preseason defensive player of the year. Henderson led the country with 14.2 tackles per game and his 170 total tackles were second nationally to Iowa’s Jay Higgins.

New coaching faces

There was plenty of turnover in the Sun Belt, starting with Cignetti’s departure from James Madison for the Big Ten and Indiana. He was replaced by Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney.

At Troy, Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker looks to keep things going at the championship program.

Major Applewhite moves up from offensive coordinator to South Alabama head coach following Kane Wommack’s departure to Alabama, where he will serve as defensive coordinator. Applewhite, the former Houston head coach, helped the Jaguars win 10 games two years ago and a bowl game this past season.

Bryant Vincent takes over for Terry Bowden at Louisiana-Monroe and Dell McGee got the call when Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott became tight ends coach at South Carolina.

Quarterback action

There were plenty of other noteworthy passers moving into the Sun Belt. Michigan State’s Noah Kim went to Coastal Carolina and should replace Grayson McCall, the three-time Sun Belt offensive player of the year who went to North Carolina State.

Tate Rodemaker, formerly at Florida State, is at Southern Miss while Georgia State picked up a pair of power program passers in Pitt’s Christian Veilleux and Georgia Tech’s Zach Gibson.

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