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The Appalachian State football program has reportedly found its new head coach. According to a report from Ethan Joyce of the Winston-Salem Journal, the Mountaineers are set to hire North Carolina State Wolfpack offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Eliah Drinkwitz. Drinkwitz has spent the past three seasons leading the offense in Raleigh.
Drinkwitz will replace Scott Satterfield, who was recently hired by the Louisville Cardinals, to become the 21st football coach in Appalachian State history.
Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports 1 also confirmed the news.
SOURCE: #NCState offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz is expected to be #AppState’s new head coach. The move was first reported by Ethan Joyce.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 13, 2018
It is a great hire for the Mountaineers, with Drinkwitz leading a top 25 offense in three of his four years as an offensive coordinator at NC State and Boise State. Drinkwitz has also made stops at Auburn and Arkansas State.
While at Auburn, Drinkwitz served as a quality control assistant in 2010 when Cam Newton led the Tigers to a 2010 BCS National Championship.
As the Winston-Salem Journal points out, Drinkwitz will have plenty of young talent to shape.
He inherits the third-youngest team in the nation that’s loaded with talent for the 2019 season. The Mountaineers leading passer (Zac Thomas, 1,862 yards and 18 touchdowns), leading rusher (Darrynton Evans, 1,709 yards and seven touchdowns) and leading receiver (Corey Sutton, 695 yards and eight touchdowns) are all sophomores.
This season under Satterfield, the Mountaineers went 10-2 and won the Sun Belt Championship over Louisiana, 30-19. Appalachian State will now face Middle Tennessee in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Saturday, December 15. Kickoff between the Mountaineers and Blue Raiders at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome is set for 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
