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Steve Wilks, Scott Satterfield, and More: Possible Head Coach Candidates for Appalachian State

Five Head Coach options for Appalachian State include Steve Wilks and Scott Satterfield

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Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield leads the Bearcats onto the field for the first quarter of the NCAA football game between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Cincinnati Bearcats at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield leads the Bearcats onto the field for the first quarter of the NCAA football game between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Cincinnati Bearcats at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday

By Mike Huesmann

Shawn Clark has been surprisingly fired by Appalachian State. An alumni and longtime assistant coach here, this one was not expected. Clark was doing ok, but only went 5-6 this year. They played 11 due to not rescheduling the Liberty game. This has been one of the more stable and high profile G5 jobs in the country and they have had many successful coaches. Jerry Moore was here for decades then Scott Satterfield (more on him later) and Eli Drinkwitz were good enough to jump to P4 jobs. Who will the next guy be here?

Steve Wilks

Charlotte 49ers, Volunteer

A former NFL head coach and Appalachian State alumni, if there’s another one of those guys around, I haven’t heard about him. He spent this year working with Biff Poggi before his firing.

Wilks played here in the late 1980’s and since then has coached at the elite football teams of the world. Notre Dame, Washington, Missouri, and Six NFL teams. Wilks was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and later interim head coach for the Carolina Panthers. His resume and connections will put him squarely in the mix.

Garrett Riley

Clemson, Offensive Coordinator

Riley is a former Appalachian State assistant coach who everyone knows will be a head coach soon. He had a tremendous single year at TCU with Sonny Dykes, leading the Frogs to the national title game. His first year at Clemson in 2023 was not great but improvements were made and 2024 has been stellar. He’s young, energetic, and innovative. This feels like it could be his first stop as a boss.

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Shawn Elliott

South Carolina, TE Coach

Elliott was formerly a successful head coach at Georgia State. Would he jump back to another Sun Belt team so quickly? Over seven years at GSU he led the Panthers to five bowl games, impressive from where he started with that program. 

Elliott left on his own to go to Columbia, be a Shane Beamer assistant, and be nearer his family. This feels like an assistant who could be hired on a bargain who should already be a head coach. If he wants back in this quickly, most G5 schools should keep him in mind.

Neal Brown

Former West Virginia, Head Coach

Brown was firmly on the hot seat in 2023 before winning 9 games, this year winning 6 and alienating the fan base couldn’t save him. Recently fired, Brown is already being mentioned for Appalachian State and Charlotte. This is one of the more stable G5 jobs and I think he’d be a solid, if not spectacular hire. In the modern transfer portal era, stability is what succeeds in the G5. He was a good coach at Troy before moving to Morgantown, although we don’t know if he wants some time off or not.

Scott Satterfield

Cincinnati, Head Coach

Satterfield coached here for six seasons and had an impressive 51-24 record. He did well enough to jump to Louisville where he made three bowl games in four seasons before taking the job with Cincinnati as they moved to the Big 12. His first year here was poor, as were all the new Big 12 teams, but this year the Bearcats looked better and finished 5-7 in a competitive conference, although slipped as the year went on.

I think Satterfield’s probably an underrated coach and this would appear to be a downward move. If he really loves Boone, NC or feels like his days are numbered with the Bearcats this makes a ton of sense. We are hearing that App State certainly is interested. Satterfield already made a lateral move to Cincinnati to save himself from being fired at Louisville, maybe he does that again?

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