App State's Roster Overhaul Signals a New Direction Under Dowell Loggains

When Dowell Loggains was hired to take over the Appalachian State football program, he knew he was stepping into a place where the standard is championships, not merely competitive Saturdays and his first season at Appalachian State did not produce the kind of results the program expected.

The Mountaineers finished 5-8 in 2025, including a 2-6 record in Sun Belt Conference play, leaving Loggains and his staff with little time to settle into a traditional rebuilding process.

A Difficult First Season

As Loggains enters his second season in Boone, the Mountaineers have added 66 newcomers to the 2026 roster. That group includes 35 transfer portal additions from NCAA programs and 29 players who signed during the December signing period.

This is not simply a case of filling a few holes after graduation. App State has taken an aggressive approach to rebuilding its roster, bringing in experienced transfers across nearly every position while also laying a longer-term foundation through what became the highest-rated signing class in program history.

The 35 transfer additions include three quarterbacks, 10 defensive backs, five wide receivers and four linebackers, among other positions. It gives the coaching staff more competition and, perhaps more importantly, more immediate options heading into a season where improvement cannot wait several years.

Transfer Bring Experience

Loggains arrived at App State in December 2024 and spent his first season installing his program while trying to navigate the demands of an already-established football culture. The 5-8 finish showed there was work to do. This offseason, the staff's approach has made clear that it believes a big reset was necessary.

When the Mountaineers concluded spring ball with the Battle at The Rock in April, Loggains said he believed the team had a productive spring. But the larger takeaway was how different the roster looked.

There are new faces throughout the depth chart, transfers have arrived from Power Four and Group of Five programs. Young players from the 29-man signing class are beginning their college careers. Positions that lacked depth or experience last season now have new competition.

A Record Setting December Class

A roster overhaul of this size creates its own challenge. Chemistry must be built quickly. Transfers have to learn new systems and coaches must determine which newcomers are ready to contribute immediately. College football's transfer portal has made rapid rebuilding possible, but it has also made continuity harder to maintain.

The December signing class provided another indication of where Loggains wants to take the program. The 29-player group was rated by 247Sports as the highest-ranked recruiting class in App State history and the highest-rated class in Sun Belt Conference history. It was also Loggains' first full signing class as head coach.

That matters beyond recruiting rankings. It is the first major opportunity for Loggains and his staff to build the roster around their own evaluation and vision rather than primarily inheriting one constructed by a previous regime.

Building Towards the Season

The combination of high school recruits and junior college players with experienced transfers suggests a two-track approach: improve immediately while building a younger core for the future.

App State will begin to find out how quickly that approach can work when the 2026 season opens Sept. 5 against Maine at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

The expectations around the program remain high, and a difficult 2025 season has only increased the attention on what comes next. Loggains' second year will ultimately be judged by wins and losses, but the changes are already visible before kickoff