App State Spring Practice is ongoing. Did you know? It would be OK if you didn’t. Not many people did. And if you did, the program might be mad that you are aware? Why, because you could tell someone else, and then two people would know instead of one. And then others might know. Every person that knows would be one more outsider that knows and Dowell Loggains can’t have that.
But seriously, there’s little buzz around the team. Going 5-8 with a first-year head coach who keeps personnel decisions guarded like state secrets will do that. NFL Man (aka Dowell) built himself a nice recruiting class, got a whole bunch of portal players and they’re now practicing every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with “T.N.P.” on their helmets. I asked and a player parent said it means “The Next Play.” Not as interesting as other ideas I had, but let’s go with it.
So who’s on the 2026 Mountaineers? Obviously a bunch of new players. Sounds the same as last year, but it’s true. Remember when Dowell said these players aren’t use to winning because they went 5-6 in 2024? That showed his attitude toward the players he inherited and based what the roster looks like now, he’s followed through.
Warning: This is all as true as possible as of writing and could no longer be true when you read this. Such is the nature of the portal and This New Landscape Of College Athletics.
First, we got the players who left to buy milk at Phil’s and never came back. This number will never get to zero because some players will be encouraged to go FCS/D2 and others will get potential generational wealth from power schools who will go 4-8.
Did not put the destinations of all these players because I didn’t want to and that would have been a lot of work. If you want to root for them going forward, go ahead.
Here you got players who were gonna be done after 2025 no matter what. Some are out of eligibility, some got their degree and are content, others might be health related and some might just have different plans in life away from football. There is a smattering of only-App State guys on this list who enrolled out of high school and never left. Good luck to them all.
Now we pivot to who’s coming in. These are the freshman recruits. I believe most are already on campus and learning things like the speed of the college game and proper nutrition. This is, on paper, App State’s best high school class ever and one of the tops in the Group of Six conferences. Again, on paper. Every year, there’s always a freshman or two or more that gets in the game and people notice. Like Jaquari Lewis at running back.
You will know these players if they play because the announcer will mention it over and over. Eyes will immediately scourer the list for the QBs because almost all of them left. Also, one of the QBs is the son of Dowell’s good friend who he mentioned in at least four press conferences last year.
In case you’re wondering, Jaxson Dunn didn’t play against App State last year, Keshawn Thomas registered two tackles and a pass breakup versus the Mountaineers and Darrin Fugitt had three catches for 37 yards, including a long of 17 in last September’s near upset.
And here’s the players you might actually be familiar with. Some of these weren’t even in my blog last year about the status of the roster as they walked on later.
The dark green players are a special breed. There’s the only 10 players left from the Clark Era. That era ended just over 16 months ago. Ain’t that something.
So now brag to your friends that you know something about this App State Football team. But if you do, App State Football might raid your house and ask where you got that info. We can’t give Maine any competitive advantages.
pipedreams 
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