Appalachian State Wraps Up Spring Practice: 3 Coaches Share Their Thoughts

When asked about the final practice of the spring, coach said the “Defense came out and really took it to our offense in all facets of the game.” He noted the physical play of the defensive line, which was missing some regular playmakers, and noted that shows great depth and physicality in this group of guys.

Coach Clark also mentioned they are desperately in the market for a backup quarterback. He stated he “wasn’t pleased with how we executed the offense” and mentioned Matt Wilson looking good, but needing a lot of work to earn the backup position.

When offseason workouts begin, Director of Athletic Performance Matt Greenhalgh and his guys will have “12 straight weeks to work with the players to get bigger and stronger and faster.” While players are hitting the gym, the coaches will be hitting the silver screen to watch film and hitting the open roads on the recruiting trail.

Areas of Improvement from Spring Practice

Coach Clark re-iterated that they “HAVE to find a backup quarterback” and he was really pleased with the running backs, stating, “They’ve done a great job all spring.” The offensive line has improved, now that some guys are returning from injury, and familiarity with the system is coming back to the forefront. Offensive linemen Kaden Sweat and Jordan Ramsay are rehabbing injuries and will be back in the fall. Never satisfied with good enough, they’re also “looking for a few more offensive linemen in the transfer portal and finding a nose guard in the next few weeks.”

Offensive Coordinator Frank Ponce’s Thoughts on Spring Practice

Coach Ponce said the biggest takeaway from Spring Practice was the “continued improvement of our starters and improvement of their skillset.” Regarding wide receiver development, “It went well, we got a couple of guys that got hurt throughout the spring, which set them back a little bit.” He went on to note that some of the younger guys stepped up, specifically mentioning Michael Hetzel and William Fowles (transfer from Louisville).

“Hetzel is back and made some nice plays today and some nice plays throughout the spring,” and Coach Ponce is excited to see newcomer Fowles, “we think he’s definitely gonna help us in the fall. He’s learning the system, things are going fast for him right now, but he did show some improvement so we’re happy to see that.” Lastly, he noted that the returning wide receivers are as “solid as they come.”

Offensive Areas of Improvement from Spring Practice

Coach Ponce said the area of greatest need heading into summer workouts is consistency in stepping up.

“When our number gets called, we gotta be ready to step up and we need to be more consistent with that,” adding that it’s about “learning the system and understanding the system” to figure out what they need to do.

He harped on the importance of everyone being on the same page. The coaches have to “Get them to understand what we are doing offensively and making sure we are better at those things in the run game and the passing game across the board with everyone. That’s the biggest thing, we have to make sure we get our timing, make sure we have our identity offensively, so we can go out and execute in the fall and throughout the season.”

Defensive Coordinator Scott Sloan’s Thoughts on Spring Practice

Coach Sloan was very pleased with how the defense collectively chased down the ball. He said they did a great job of leveraging the ball and chasing it down; noting that even when there was a missed tackle, usually two or more guys were there. “Anytime we can get a three-on-one type situation, we should knock it down for minimal gains and even minus yardage.” 

For Sloan, taking the ball away was another big accomplishment this spring. He mentioned the defense’s success last season intercepting passes and he would’ve liked to have “seen more punch outs and fumbles,” so that was a big point of emphasis this camp.

They also worked on ball security practice every day to “train and get the muscle memory of punch the ball, and that is starting to show up more with getting balls on the ground and not just relying on interceptions for turnovers.”

Transfer Player and Newcomers Stepping Up

All three defensive transfers had a really good spring, “Myles (Farmer, transferred from Syracuse), AC (Avarion Cole transfer from NC A&T), (Jason) Chambers (transfer from NCCU) are starting to define their roles defensively.”

The younger guys- Ryan McKinnis, Colton Phares, and Zyeir Gamble continue to get better. “Zyeir is a great open-field tackler, closes the ground. He’s going to figure in the mix.”

Early enrollees have shown themselves worthy as well. “Trey Lenhardt, Kaleb Neal, Jackson Bussey grew so much. It’s a shame you can’t have your entire signing class (attend Spring Camp) because those guys that came in midyear will be so much further ahead than anybody that arrives in summer.”

Summer Workout Areas of Emphasis

During the summer, the defense will be working on the mental side of the game, “Training from the neck up with the OTA stuff we’re allowed to do with walkthroughs, and things of that nature, so communications shifts and motions.” 

In terms of the physical side, “Coach Matt Greenhalgh will implement some football-related exercises and some will be position-based to work on those change direction movements they’ll be using in the fall.”