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Today Appalachian State’s AD Charlie Cobb appeared on Charlotte’s ESPN730. He talked about the decision to end Coach Moore’s tenure at App, the basketball program, and conference realignment.
Here are some of the highlights:
On what he’s looking for in a new head coach:
We want to find someone that’s got a connection to our community, to our school, and I think that’s really the first key. Understanding Appalachian and what this football program means to our campus and to our community.
Secondly you look for someone with some really strong leadership skills.
Third, for us the spread offense is part of what we do. That’s what our team is built around. We’re built around speed, we’re built around being aggressive and so I think if, and I know we will, we’ll find someone that fits those 3 primary characteristics, we’ll continue our success.
That’s basically just a description of Scott Satterfield. I’m bumping up the likelihood of us hiring him from 90% to 99%.
On joining an FBS conference that has geographic rivals:
It’s the #1 criteria for us. And that is joining a league that has geographic rivalries. Candidly we could be in an FCS, I’m sorry, an FBS league today that would involve schools all over America. That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever for Appalachian…
I’ve thought about this quote a lot. He is NOT referring to the Big East or C-USA cause we couldn’t be in the Big East and we actively pursued C-USA. The description of “all over America” doesn’t apply to the MAC or Sun Belt. So the ONLY conference I think he could be talked about was that supposed east coast WAC division that was rumored. That obviously fell through. But the fact that it was actually a real possibility that we turned down is a new revelation.
On basketball coach Jason Capel:
We’re a really young team, we went through a transition…right now we’re seeing that vacuum, or a little bit of a void, with having older players on our roster. Through another year of cycle, we’ll answer that question. We’re getting better every week and every game and I think that’s the exciting part of where our basketball program is.
AKA Capel is getting a pass this year.
Capel getting a pass this year is not really an accurate assessment of the program. Most failing programs require 5 years minimum to make a complete turnaround. If you, as a coach inherit a staple of quality players then the time frame is different; however, this situation is probably closer to the opposite. Capel has a very promising group coming in next year. He has lost the compliment of a point guard for the first half of the season in Neal who started at the point last year. He has a fantastic transfer player in Canty who is already making an immediate impact. This is his second true year as head coach. He needs backing and support that will flow through to the program. Get behind them and make a difference instead of being indifferent and watching from the backyard. Has the “Wine and Cheese Crowd” found it’s way to the mountains?
Still not convinced that he wasn’t referencing the SBC.
If he meant the SBC it would be about the only other conference to consider outside of CUSA. MAC maybe considering the distance to western schools in the MAC. Even with an east west conference makeup the lack of competition between divisions depletes the rivalry makeup of a conference. Cobb needs to realize that distance means nothing on a national scale when it comes to respectability. No FBS means low respectability by comparison as an FCS program. Time to get with the program and travel. When Notre Dame travels to Miami for football or USC travels to Notre Dame etc. it is all about exposure. The SOCON gives you about as much exposure as ESPN High School Playoff Broadcasts do. Maybe less!