Appalachian State Banks on a Deep Portal Haul to Reverse Its Slide
Appalachian State finished 5-8 overall and 2-6 in the Sun Belt in 2025, a disappointing return that included a bowl loss to Georgia Southern and left Dowell Loggains searching for answers entering his second season in Boone. The Mountaineers averaged just 24.2 points per game while giving the ball away 22 times, and an offseason exodus of more than 40 players into the transfer portal has forced a near-total roster overhaul, most visibly at quarterback, where the previous starter is gone and a new face arrives to run the show.
Offense
Malachi Singleton appears to hold the edge in a crowded competition. A redshirt junior who began his career at Arkansas before moving to Purdue, Singleton brings dual-threat ability that should give the offense a new dimension. He appeared in 11 games for the Boilermakers last season, completing just under 60 percent of his 64 attempts for 439 yards while adding 202 on the ground. His experience and mobility are exactly what a rebuilding attack needs.
He will not be handed the job. Henry Hasselbeck, Tommy Ulatowski and redshirt freshman Noah Gillon are all in the mix, giving the staff options but also underscoring the uncertainty at the game's most important position.
Sam Mbake is the veteran anchor of the receiving corps, a big-bodied senior target who caught 24 passes for 207 yards in nine games a year ago and needs to become a bigger factor. The most intriguing newcomer is Chris Lofton, who piled up 934 receiving yards on 56 catches at Gardner-Webb and instantly raises the group's ceiling. Fellow portal addition Dazmin James, along with returnees Zach Taylor and Alex Sanchez, will round out a room that badly needs more production after last year's pass catchers underwhelmed. Tight end Darrin Fugitt is a reliable senior option in the middle of the field.
The backfield is one of the offense's more settled spots on paper, thanks to returning production from Jaquari Lewis, who ran for 618 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman. The staff also dipped into the portal for depth and competition, adding Florida transfer Treyaun Webb, who carried 47 times for 256 yards and three scores across three seasons in Gainesville, and J'Marion Burnette, who posted similar numbers in two years at Houston. There is enough talent here to lean on the run while the passing game finds its footing.
The front is a genuine strength, built around a trio of returning starters. Center Cayden Sweatt and guard Trent Ramsey are back, and the line gets a boost if Tyriq Poindexter and Ramsey rediscover their best form after injuries cut their 2025 seasons short. Poindexter started the opener before missing the rest of the year. Kamron Burris, Devon Manuel and Mac Walters add experienced bodies, giving Loggains the kind of continuity up front that is rare on this roster.
Defense
Productive seasons from the edge are essential after the Mountaineers surrendered 416.6 yards per game. Aiden Benton returns at defensive end coming off 41 tackles and 3.5 sacks, while Caleb Sandstrom made one of the defense's few splash plays of the year, forcing and recovering a fumble to set up the go-ahead score in a 26-24 win over Marshall. Inside, the interior leans on transfers, including Aaron Clark, who logged 31 tackles at Towson, and Ki'Shawn Harvey, who appeared in 11 games at East Tennessee State, giving the front some newcomer bulk alongside Jehchys Brown.
Colton Phares is the unquestioned leader of the defense. A second-team All-Sun Belt selection, he paced the team with 101 tackles and added three interceptions, a rare do-everything presence for a unit that needs playmakers. He gets help in the middle from portal additions Alex Mitchell, who arrives from Middle Tennessee, and Carson Sloan, an FCS transfer from Samford, both counted on to steady a spot thinned by departures.
The secondary is banking on a healthy return from Ja'Den McBurrows, whose season was cut short by injury after he started three games; if fully recovered, the junior can be a playmaker. Cornerback Juan Berchal gained valuable experience as a freshman and needs a step forward. The bigger story is the portal influx: Josh Williams arrives after tying an FCS high with six interceptions at Dayton, Cary Grant brings 45 tackles from Charlotte, and safety Dylan Hasz returns as one of the few holdovers. Former ACC defenders Joe Reddish, from Virginia Tech, and Khalil Conley, from North Carolina, will be pivotal to how quickly this group jells.
The kicking game brings a mix of promise and questions. James London, a Murray State product who connected on 14 of 19 field goals in 2024, including six from 50 yards or more en route to third-team FCS All-America recognition, gives the Mountaineers a big leg, though he will compete with Carter Everett for the job after spending last season at Pittsburgh without an attempt. Punting is a concern, as Arkansas State transfer Jaxson Dunn was the only punter on the roster this spring and has yet to play a college snap. Jackson Grier returns to handle return duties.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule opens with Maine before a run that includes trips to East Carolina and NC State and a Sun Belt slate that features James Madison, Marshall and Georgia Southern. This is a team defined by turnover, with so many new faces on offense that the group is something of a mystery, while a defense returning only a handful of starters still has more experience scattered across its units than the raw number suggests.
The preseason consensus is bearish, slotting Appalachian State near the bottom of the national picture and in the lower half of the Sun Belt. The margins matter here: the Mountaineers lost three games last season by a field goal or less, so learning to close out tight contests would go a long way. If the transfer haul blends quickly and the injured linemen and defensive backs return to form, App State can reverse its recent slide of just one winning season in four years. The make-or-break is simple, whether all these newcomers can become a team fast enough to steal the close ones they let slip away a year ago.