Appalachian State had the best season in N.C. history, how will Shawn Clark top it?
Shawn Clark passed his first test Saturday night. Next comes the real work.
On the heels of leading his alma mater, Appalachian State, to a 31-17 victory Saturday over UAB in the New Orleans Bowl, Clark enters his first season as head coach with a few challenges:
How many assistant coaches will leave, and who will replace them? Who will replace a group of seniors who were part of the program’s brightest days?
But most of all, the months between now and the 2020 season opener will be filled with uncertainty, as Clark and the Mountaineers try to follow their most successful FBS season. In short, what do you do for an encore?
“It’s a great day to be a Mountaineer, baby,” Clark, a former all-America offensive lineman and a four-year assistant coach at App State, said Saturday night.
The bowl win capped a 13-1 season for the Mountaineers, who entered the game with a No. 20 national ranking — their highest ever — and likely will be a few notches higher in the final poll after the bowl games.
That’s the most victories for an FBS program in North Carolina ever, or for any team in the Sun Belt Conference, and the Mountaineers have won five straight bowl games since moving from FCS to FBS.
“I talked to coach Clark after the game and said, ‘13 wins! Wow!’ ” junior running back Darrynton Evans, who rushed for 161 yards against UAB, said after the game. “Not many teams get to 13 wins!”
Whether the Mountaineers can do this again depends in part on answers to a few questions.
Who will coach?
Clark was promoted earlier this month to replace first-year head coach Eli Drinkwitz, who left for the vacancy at Missouri. Now comes the inevitable exodus of Appalachian State assistant coaches following Drinkwitz.
At least three Mountaineer assistants are headed to Missouri, including D.J. Smith, 30, considered one of the bright young defensive coaching minds. Clark asked Smith, an ASU alum, to lead the team in singing in the locker room after Saturday’s game.
Also leaving are Charlie Harbison (defensive backs) and Erik Link (special teams).
Finding solid replacements will be Clark’s first important test as a head coach, but he won’t hire coaches simply looking for work.
“I want guys who want to be here,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere. I want coaches who want to coach here.”
Who steps up?
Some of the Mountaineers’ big offensive playmakers, such as Evans and quarterback Zac Thomas, return next season. But defensive standouts like linebackers Akeem Davis-Gaither and Jordan Fehr (of Providence High) are seniors and have played their final games for ASU.
Fortunately, the Mountaineers signed their highest-rated recruiting class last week, including defensive back Tommy Wright, who was sought after by several ACC and SEC schools.
“At the DB position and on the O-line, we wanted to get some length (height),” recruiting coordinator Justin Watts said. “We feel we addressed that.”
What about expectations?
On the field, don’t look for changes. Clark said that his offensive line background won’t turn the Mountaineers into a plodding team.
“We’ll challenge other teams’ defenses,” he said.
Tight end Thomas Hennigan, a senior who made several big plays Saturday night, noted that Clark twice converted fourth-down plays. “Having a coach that trusts us like that … is exciting as a player,” he said.
Clark said, “We’re excited about where we’re going.”
The Mountaineers’ non-conference schedule next year has games against Morgan State (Sept. 5), at Wake Forest (Sept. 11) and Big Ten power Wisconsin (Sept. 19), and home against UMass (Sept. 26).
In 2021, the Mountaineers travel to Miami. A year later brings games against North Carolina and Texas A&M.
“I can’t wait for next year,” Clark said. “I believe we have great things ahead of us. I can’t wait to get there.”
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle