Charlotte 49ers football coach, AD take center stage as American kicks off season

For the first time since the Charlotte 49ers joined in 2022, the American Conference conducted its media days in the Queen City, kicking off the upcoming football season and setting the stage for Tim Albin’s first year as the 49ers’ head coach.

The two-day event included all 14 football programs in the conference, and a record number of media credentials were issued. Albin and Charlotte player representatives Ja’Qurious Conley and Jonny King were at center stage.

Charlotte head coach Tim Albin

With training camp kicking off on Tuesday, July 29, and the season opener against Appalachian State at Bank of America Stadium just over a month away, Albin is intensifying the evaluation process with question marks spanning nearly every position room.

“At every position, the month of August will be so critical in the evaluation process. We’ll be under the gun. Not just quarterback — every position. Jonny King will start for us. JQ Conley will start. There are a couple of others — Reid Williford,” Albin said. “We’re going to have a good football team. I don’t know when, but it’s going to happen. Our mindset is that it’s year three. We’ve got a good nucleus coming back. That’s having a year-three mentality. I want the last game of our season to be for something.”

Albin fielded a three-quarterback battle in the spring, featuring transfers Grayson Loftis (Duke), Conner Harrell (UNC), and Zack Wilcke (NW Mississippi), but with game preparation ramping up for the Mountaineers, Albin knows the rep count will shrink.

“Those first two weeks are going to be critical. You’re not going to be able to rep three guys up until game week. I would suspect that we’ll have to do some live work with the quarterbacks to get a true evaluation. (All three) can create. I’m not getting a lot of sleep on the evaluation process.”

After two consecutive seasons featuring split starters at quarterback, The Observer asked Albin if that’s something he would consider in Year 1.

“I’ve done it before. It’s happened. It’s not ideal, but it can work. All I know is that the best guy is going to play. If we aren’t moving the ball, we’ve got to fix it, and if we feel that it’s on the quarterback, we’ll try someone else. All three are capable,” Albin told The Observer. “It’s going to be the most intense evaluation in my 37 years of coaching. We’ve got a locker room full of potential. I also know potential gets your ass fired if you don’t win games and figure it out.”

While the battle rages on at the signal caller, snaps at tailback are wide open as Charlotte enters the training camp. Don Chaney Jr., Louisville transfer and lead back in the spring session, was removed from the roster and deemed academically ineligible, per a source.

But there’s a very slim chance that he could rejoin the team, according to Albin.

“I don’t want to say anything that’s not accurate right now. I just know that we’re hopeful, and I hope that this thing gets resolved by early next week,” Albin told The Observer.

Athletic director Mike Hill

After hiring Albin in December, his third head coaching hire since taking charge as athletic director in 2018, Mike Hill spoke with The Observer about expectations for year one, provided a ticket update for the Duke’s Mayo Classic against Appalachian State, and discussed the American bringing its Media Day to Charlotte for the first time.

“It’s been spectacular. I’d love to have it here every year,” Hill said of Media Day. “The media turnout has been incredible. Selfishly, for our program, it’s great. I’ve heard very positive feedback from other coaches and the American’s staff about how great the city is, and I think it’s been a huge hit.”

Charlotte’s season opener against the Mountaineers kicks off a six-game non-conference slate with Appalachian State, and the 49ers are expecting a good turnout in their first game at Bank of America Stadium.

“It’s off the charts. Our allotment that we’ve received is almost sold out, we have just a few hundred seats left. The expectation is high for what that crowd could be. Thankful for Charlotte Sports Foundation for putting that game on for us,” Hill said. “Playing in the Duke’s Mayo Classic is a big deal for our program, playing in Bank of America for the first time, and playing a program that we have so much respect for — of course we want to beat them.”

And with Albin taking charge of a program that’s added over 50 new players, Hill’s expectations are high, but he understands the challenges of a “difficult” league and schedule.

“We hired one hell of a football coach. That’s been clear since Day 1. It’s difficult to know, because you don’t know what other teams have. Our league is difficult, and our non-conference is no joke,” Hill said. “I would never assign a number to what my expectations are, but what I would say is that we aspire to be in bowl games every year and compete for conference championships. How soon that happens remains to be seen, but I know we hired a guy who just won one and has won 10 games for three straight years. That’s our expectation, as it is his, to build that kind of program here. I think we have the potential to have a really special season.”

American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti

The second and final day of the American’s Media Day kicked off with a bang, with league commissioner Tim Pernetti addressing various topics spanning the college football landscape, including:

Player availability reports

While Power Four conferences began rolling out player availability reports last season, the American Conference announced that it will follow suit, providing gameday availabilities.

Pernetti told The Observer availability reports will be football-specific to start, providing the report three hours before kickoff. The league will consider adding basketball and baseball down the line.

“We are rolling out player availability for this season. I just want to tip my cap to the coaches, they’ve spent a lot of time on this. We are not reacting to anything; we certainly saw it unfold last year,” Pernetti said. “We will start player availability reporting this season. Player availability will be a game-day reporting system, and I think it’s an important modernization for where we are as a conference.”

Competitive non-conference scheduling

Last season, the American joined the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, and Big 12 as the only conferences in the FBS with three or more 10-win teams, and Charlotte’s new head coach, Tim Albin, knows a thing or three about that, reeling off as many 10-win seasons to conclude his tenure at Ohio.

But he’s faced with a challenging non-conference schedule in Year 1, featuring Appalachian State, North Carolina and Georgia — and according to athletic director Mike Hill, that won’t stop moving forward.

“The goal is to play one of those games a year, which provides not only financial incentives but exposure and experience,” Hill said on the Highway 49 Podcast. “Let’s go play in some of the cathedrals of college football.”

Charlotte starts a home-and-home with SEC foe Ole Miss in 2026, with the Rebels traveling to Richardson Stadium, then heads to Louisville the same season. The 49ers are scheduled for a trip to Ohio State in 2029, and conclude the current future scheduled games with a home-and-home series against North Carolina State.