BOONE, N.C. — App State Football has added eight transfers as early enrollees with the 2023 spring semester beginning next week, head coach Shawn Clark announced Thursday.

The newcomers with previous Division I football experience are, listed in alphabetical order: Shawn Collins (DE, Rutgers), Michael Fletcher (DE, Michigan State), Scoobie Ford (WR, Mississippi State), Tyrek Funderburk (CB, Richmond), Maquel Haywood (RB, Navy), Makai Jackson (WR, Saint Francis), Jack Murphy (OL, Marshall) and Jarrett Paul (SAF, Kansas).

Additionally, 11 members of the December signing class (high school prospects and junior college transfers) are enrolling early and starting classes next week. Those newcomers are, listed alphabetically: Joey Aguilar (QB), Kason Boston (DE), Jaylon Calhoun (RB), Cahari Haynes (LB), Nate Johnson (DE), Mitchell Lake (P), Chris Lawson Jr. (WR), Mason McHugh (QB), AJ Mebane (DE), Jalik Thomas (SAF) and Trenton Alan Yowe (CB).

With 19 total newcomers enrolling this month, plus eight December signees who will arrive later, that group of 27 newcomers to date includes five defensive ends, four safeties, four receivers, three cornerbacks, three linebackers, two quarterbacks, two running backs, two offensive linemen, one tight end and one punter.

Below are bios for the eight Division I transfers. Click HERE for bios on the 19 signees from December.

Shawn Collins — DE
6-5, 250
Montclair, N.J. (Rutgers)

Prior to App State: Member of Rutgers’ program for three seasons and appeared in six games during a 2022 season that was officially his redshirt freshman season … Didn’t appear in any games as a redshirting player in 2021 and was with the Scarlet Knights during a 2020 season that didn’t count against a player’s eligibility … Recovered a fumble and broke up a pass against Penn State before finishing the 2022 season with six tackles … Season-high four tackles against Wagner and also had a stop against Ohio State … Five of six appearances came against Power Five programs, with four appearances in Big Ten play … Gained nearly 25 pounds during his three years at Rutgers … Played for head coach John Fiore at Montclair High School … Started at tight end and along the defensive line for the Mounties … Caught eight passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns … Added 28 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and four sacks … Named to the 2019 Jersey Sports Zone All-Zone Team as a tight end … Caught a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner against Irvington … Named First Team All-SFC Liberty Blue Division by NJ.com … Earned All-Essex County first-team honors on defense … Rated a top-40 recruit in New Jersey by 247Sports and top-30 prospect by Rivals.

Michael Fletcher — DE
6-6, 260
Flint, Mich. (Michigan State)

Prior to App State: Member of Michigan State’s program for four seasons, with three sacks (including two in one game against Ohio State), four tackles for loss and 31 stops in 22 career games (three starts) from 2019-22 … As a redshirt sophomore in 2022, had 13 tackles in eight games, contributing to a tackle for loss against Ohio State and blocking a kick against Indiana … Season-high four tackles at Michigan with multiple stops in four more Big Ten games … Played in one game as a redshirting true freshman in 2019 and had three sacks while playing in all seven games during a 2020 season that didn’t count against his eligibility … Played in six games during the 2021 season … Multi-year Academic All-Big Ten honoree … Ranked the No. 1 high school defensive end prospect in the state of Michigan by 247Sports and ESPN.com . . . Listed among the best overall players in the state of Michigan by 247Sports (No. 9), ESPN.com (No. 13) and Rivals.com (No. 16) . . . Rated one of the top defensive ends in the nation by 247Sports (No. 25) and Rivals.com (No. 46) . . . Ranked one of the best 50 players in the Midwest (No. 45) by ESPN.com . . . Two-time MLive Flint Dream Team selection . . . First-team all-state selection (Division 1-2) by the AP and Detroit Free Press as a junior . . . Also a standout basketball player, starting all four years and leading Carman-Ainsworth to three straight Saginaw Valley League Championships.

Scoobie Ford — WR
5-11, 175
Atlanta, Ga. (Mississippi State)

Prior to App State: Member of Mississippi State’s program for three seasons, with 17 game appearances and 19 catches for 247 yards … Played in the last nine regular season games as a redshirt junior in 2022 and totaled eight catches for 66 yards, with three multi-catch games … Made one start (at Auburn) in eight games as a redshirt sophomore in 2021, when he totaled 19 catches for 247 yards … In 2021, had four catches for 40 yards in a win at Texas A&M, five catches for 63 yards against Vanderbilt and 65 receiving yards against Arkansas … Did not appear in a game as a Mississippi State newcomer during a 2020 season that didn’t count against his eligibility … Began collegiate career at Georgia Southern in 2018 (redshirted) and spent the 2019 season at Iowa Western Community College, where he caught 14 passes for 304 yards (25.3 average) with two touchdowns … Prepped at Marietta High School under head coach Richard Morgan … Three-star prospect per Rivals and 247Sports … Tabbed team MVP as a senior … As a senior, caught 43 passes for 602 yards and six touchdowns … As a junior, made 37 catches for 517 yards and two scores … Born Christian Armin Ford and is nicknamed Scoobie … Father, Glenn, lettered in football at Georgia from 1994-98 … Has seven siblings, including one brother, Jordan, who was a running back at Tulsa during the 2022 season.

Tyrek Funderburk — CB
6-0, 185
Indian Trail, N.C. (Richmond)

Prior to App State: North Carolina native was a member of Richmond’s program for five seasons from 2018-22 and used three seasons of eligibility while totaling seven interceptions and 77 tackles in 41 game appearances (19 starts) … Made four interceptions and defended 14 passes during a redshirt junior season in 2022, when he also had 39 tackles and two forced fumbles in 13 games (starts in nine of the last 10 games) … Had two interceptions apiece against Sacramento State (in the FCS playoffs) and Stony Brook (a game in which he scored on a 30-yard interception return and also broke up three more passes) … Season-high eight stops against William & Mary in 2022 … Officially redshirted in 2018 (after playing in four games) and played in 12 games as a 2019 redshirt freshman before being a second-team All-CAA selection during a 2021 spring season that didn’t count against his eligibility … Made five starts in eight games during a fall 2021 season in which he was named to the CAA’s academic honor roll … Three-year varsity starter and two-time all-state performer at Metrolina Christian Academy in North Carolina … Triple jump state champion in high school and three-time state medalist … Also a conference champ in the long jump, 100 meters and 4×100 relay … School record-holder in the triple jump, long jump, 4×100 relay and 4×200 relay … First name is pronounced TIE-Reek.

Maquel Haywood — RB
5-8, 190
Wake Forest, N.C. (Navy)

Prior to App State: North Carolina native played running back for Navy during the 2021 and 2022 seasons … Over 20 games, totaled 1,334 all-purpose yards with three touchdowns, including 916 all-purpose yards as a sophomore in 2022 … Rushed for 473 yards on 73 carries (6.5 average) in 12 games during the 2022 season, when he also returned 17 kickoffs for 306 yards and caught eight passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns … Scored on touchdown receptions of 20 yards against Notre Dame and 25 yards in overtime against Army and had a long run of 44 yards at SMU … Career-high 95 rushing yards (on eight attempts) against SMU in addition to 67 yards against ECU and 54 yards (on eight rushes) against Memphis … Ranked ninth in the AAC with 18 Mak of 10-plus yards (or on 24.6 percent of his carries) … In eight games as a freshman, had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against East Carolina en route to 372 yards on 12 kickoff returns (31.0 yards per return) … Had a 48-yard return against Cincinnati, with returns of 35-plus yards against SMU and Tulsa … In 2021, also had nine rushing attempts, one reception and five tackles … At Wake Forest High School outside of Raleigh, scored 33 touchdowns and rushed for more than 2,000 yards, including 1,222 as a junior and 809 during an injury-shortened senior year … Helped Wake Forest win state titles in 2017 and 2018 … After graduating from Wake Forest in 2020, attended the Naval Academy Prep School during the 2020-21 year … First name is pronounced Muh-KEL.

Makai Jackson — WR
6-0, 190
Croydon, Pa. (Saint Francis)

Prior to App State: In 2022, had 85 catches for 991 yards with nine touchdowns in 12 games as a college newcomer at Saint Francis in Pennsylvania, contributing to HERO Sports Freshman All-America recognition from a 9-3 team that went 7-0 in league play and reached the FCS playoffs … Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year as well as a first-team all-league performer … Had five 100-yard receiving games in 2022, highlighted by 11 catches for 117 yards against Wagner and eight catches for a season-high 123 yards against Richmond … Totaled 1,125 all-purpose yards, including a 79-yard kickoff return for a touchdown … All-league standout at Harry S. Truman High School, where he played for coach Benjamin Johnson … Three-sport athlete also played basketball and baseball.

Jack Murphy — OL
6-4, 290
Fairfax, Va. (Marshall)

Prior to App State: Member of Marshall’s program for three seasons … Used first year of eligibility in 2022 (when he made one appearance against Gardner-Webb) after redshirting in 2021 and being part of the Thundering Herd during a 2020 season that didn’t count against his eligibility … Rated a three-star prospect out of Bishop O’Connell by 247Sports.com before spending a year as the left tackle at Fork Union Military Academy … Played on both sides of the ball in high school and earned first-team all-state honors as a senior.

Jarrett Paul — SAF
6-1. 200
Brooklyn, N.Y. (Kansas)

Prior to App State: Totaled 40 game appearances and 20 starts as an FBS defensive back from 2018-22, playing three seasons that counted against his eligibility … Played in the first four games of the 2022 season for Kansas, totaling four tackles, with three coming in the season opener … Member of Rutgers’ program from 2018-19, with 41 tackles and eight starts at free safety in 2019, before sitting out the 2020 season and posting 46 tackles (28 solo) for Eastern Michigan in 2021 … Appeared in 12 games as a Rutgers true freshman in 2018 and 11 more as a sophomore … In 2019, had eight stops against Michigan and 10 tackles against Boston College … During the 2021 season for EMU, had seven stops against Ball State and five against Wisconsin … Coached by Dan Sabella at Paramus Catholic, the same program that produced All-Sun Belt tight end Henry Pearson … Ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports … Rated No. 24 overall recruit in New Jersey by Rivals.com … Finished senior season with 23 solo tackles (35 total) … Honorable mention All-Metro in 2017 by News12 Varsity … Top-rated 2018 cornerback in New Jersey according to 247Sports.com and Rivals.com.

By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Ranked No. 24 in the nation, App State Wrestling showed its strength and depth with a 29-10 home win Sunday against a Binghamton team that’s come close to knocking off several top-30 opponents this season.

The Mountaineers (4-1) won the first seven matches to claim a 23-0 lead and finished with eight victories among the 10 weight classes. Binghamton (2-7) traveled south to Chattanooga, Tenn., last weekend for the Southern Scuffle, where it had three wrestlers place, then headed to Raleigh for a Friday dual at No. 6 NC State before coming to Varsity Gym.

Three of the Bearcats’ other losses were close duals against No. 9 Minnesota, No. 16 North Dakota State and No. 26 Indiana, so there was no danger of looking ahead to Friday’s home dual against No. 8 Virginia Tech for App State.

The Mountaineers, at No. 24 in the NWCA Coaches Poll and as high as No. 20 (from Win Magazine), go into the ranked showdown against Virginia Tech with four straight dual wins. Tickets for Friday’s dual at 7 p.m. in Varsity Gym can be purchased by clicking HERE, with a cost of $20 for adults and $7 for youth.

Will Miller stood out Sunday with his 10-0 major decision at 174 pounds against Sam DePrez, who entered 2023 with a national ranking of No. 25 in his weight class. Jon Jon Millner also earned a bonus point with a 16-3 major decision at 149, and a forfeit at 197 allowed Carson Floyd to produce six points for the Mountaineers.

App State’s five wins by decision came from Caleb Smith (11-9 at 125), Sean Carter (10-5 at 133), Heath Gonyer (4-1 at 141), Tommy Askey (5-2 at 157) and Will Formato (2-0 at 165). Binghamton’s victories resulted from wins by top-25 wrestlers Jacob Nolan at 184 and Cory Day in the heavyweight division — the Bearcats were missing two-time All-American Lou DePrez at 197 because of an injury.

Miller used a takedown and four-point near fall in the last 20 seconds of the first period to seize control against Sam DePrez. Miller rode out the second period and added a takedown with 1:18 left in the third before finishing on top.

The most dramatic match occurred in the opener, as Anthony Sobotker used a takedown and four-point near fall to move ahead 6-0 in the first minute against Smith, who avoided deeper trouble from his back and executed a reversal. He stayed on top long enough to build his riding time to 1:47 before an escape enabled Sotbotker to lead 7-3 heading to the second period.

After a Smith escape, he followed a second stall against Sobotker with a takedown and finished the period on top to trail just 7-6 (with 2:09 of riding time on his side) going into the third period. With Sobotker getting an escape early in the third, Smith produced a takedown with 1:21 left to essentially take a 9-8 lead (counting the clinched riding time).

Sobotker got a timely escape with five seconds left to potentially force overtime, but Smith responded with another takedown three seconds later to clinch a victory right before the buzzer sounded.

Carter had a late 8-3 lead (with ample riding time) when he cut his opponent seeking a takedown to push his victory into bonus-point range, but a takedown from Ivan Garcia contributed to a 10-5 final score.

Gonyer rode out the second period and followed a conceded escape by registering a takedown with 1:22 left in his 4-1 win against Nate Lucier. Two matches later, at 157, matching escapes had the score tied at 1-all in the third before Askey got a takedown with 1:06 left and then added another one in the closing seconds against Fin Nadeau.

Formato earned an escape in the second period and rode out the third period in his shutout of Carter Baer.

The 2022-23 season is presented by Hungry Howies and Penn Station.

TEAM SCORE: No. 24 App State 29, Binghamton 10

INDIVIDUAL MATCHES:

125: #22 Caleb Smith (APP) def. Anthony Sobotker (BU), 11-9 dec.
133: #22 Sean Carter (APP) def. Ivan Garcia (BU), 10-5 dec.
141: Heath Gonyer (APP) def. Nate Lucier (BU), 4-1 dec.
149: #7 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Michael Zarif (BU), 16-3 maj. dec.
157: #31 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Fin Nadeau (BU), 5-2 dec.
165: #26 Will Formato (APP) def. Carter Baer (BU), 2-0 dec.
174: #32 Will Miller (APP) def. Sam DePrez (BU), 10-0 maj. dec.
184: #23 Jacob Nolan (BU) def. Luke Uliano (APP), 8-0 maj. dec.
197: Carson Floyd (APP) won by forfeit
Hwt: #21 Cory Day (BU) def. Mason Fiscella (APP), fall (6:34)

JONESBORO, Ark. – The App State women’s basketball team downed Arkansas State 59-58 on Saturday for its first road victory of the 2022-23 campaign. The Mountaineers (6-9) improved to 2-2 in Sun Belt play with their first win of the new year.

A dynamic fourth quarter saw sophomore Emily Carver drill three field goals over the course of the period, tying the score at 52-52 as well as landing the final shot of the game to bring the Mountaineers ahead by one. A strong defensive showing from the Mountaineers kept Arkansas State from rebounding after a missed 3-pointer from Lauryn Pendleton as App State kept possession as the clock ran out.

Redshirt senior Janay Sanders led the Mountaineers with 13 points. The Charlotte, N.C., native has led App State in seven of 15 games this season, with Saturday’s game her third consecutive as top scorer. She also recorded three rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists on the afternoon. Carver added nine points and led the team with six rebounds. The game marked Carver’s fourth consecutive as the team’s top rebounder.

In her first collegiate start, freshman Alexis Black put the Mountaineers on the board with an early layup. Junior Faith Alston tied things up at 9-9 with a jumper before a layup from Zada Porter and a pair of A’Lea Gilbert free throws extended the Mountaineers’ lead to 13-9 late in the quarter. Arkansas State edged ahead 14-13 after a trio of free throws.

Porter opened the second quarter with a layup to regain the lead, and a pair of layups from Gilbert and Black extended App State’s lead to 19-16. A pair of layups from Sanders and one from Porter extended the advantage to 25-20. App State led 32-27 at the end of the half with further contributions from sophomore Mariah Frazier, graduate student Brooke Bigott, and Carver.

Sanders made the first bucket of the second half, sinking a trey. As the Red Wolves regained the lead, the Mountaineers fought back, with back-to-back layups from Alston tying things up at 43-43 before Sanders gave App State a 45-43 edge with a layup of her own. After a back-and-fourth third period, the Black and Gold trailed by three, 48-45.

Carver, Bigott, Sanders, and Alston combined for 14 points in the fourth period en route to the road victory.

App State scored 40 points in the paint and 17 off the bench.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers’ road stretch continues as they head to Harrisonburg, Va., to take on James Madison for the first time in conference play on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. The Black and Gold will then head to Statesboro, Ga. to clash with rival Georgia Southern on Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. Both games will be available to stream on ESPN+.

By David Rogers. HARRISONBURG, Va. — A big first half set the proverbial table for Appalachian State on Jan. 7 against James Madison, including a 20-point lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game. But nine turnovers and a flurry of missed shots in the closing minutes allowed the Dukes to narrow (but not close) the deficit as the Mountaineers won their second Sun Belt Conference tilt in as many games, 71-62.

Just about everything went App State’s way in the first half. Fifty percent shooting from the field, an 18-4 advantage over the Dukes contributed by the Mountaineer bench and converting JMU’s nine first half turnovers into 11 points all combined for a great start in creating a 15-point, Mountaineer halftime lead.

After dropping a one-point decision to Sun Belt rival Texas State on Thursday (Jan. 5), 63-62, but sporting the No. 1 scoring offense nationally in NCAA Division I men’s basketball, the Dukes expected more for the 3,540 announced fans in Atlantic Union Bank Center.

With the sudden rally in the closing minutes, the JMU faithful were almost handed a late holiday present. But a made free throw by forward C J Huntley to extend the tenuous Mountaineer lead to 69-62 with 17 seconds remaining, then a steal by Terence Harcum at the 12 second mark all but sealed the App State win, especially with Harcum being fouled on a fast break up court following the steal. He made both free throws, then two wild 3-point attempts by the Dukes were off the mark as the clocked ticked to zero.

Harcum came off the bench to record a game-high 16 points, with double figures on the offense end also contributed by Huntley (15 points)  and Tyree Boykin (14). The Dukes’ starting guard Terrence Edwards captured game-high scoring honors with 17 points.

Much of the Dukes’ late damage came on six fast breaks resulting from Mountaineer turnovers in the last six minutes of play, but fast break opportunities are just about the only type of shot where App State fell short of the JMU. The Mountaineers held a 27-16 advantage in points off the bench. They had a narrow, 16-14 advantage off of forced turnovers. And they had a whopping, 21-12 advantage on three point shots.

For Huntley, the Thursday and Saturday basketball games evolved as a weekend birthday celebration extraordinaire. After tipping in the winning shot on Jan. 5 just before the final buzzer to beat Coastal, he followed that up with a 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and a block scoring line against James Madison.

A key reason for this Mountaineer win, however, was the team’s defense vs. the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense coming into the game. App State held the Dukes scoreless for an eight minute period early in the first half, and then did it again for more than six minutes from late in the first half overlapping into the second half.

With the win, the Mountaineers improve their overall record on the season to 9-8 overall, 2-2 in the young Sun Belt Conference season. James Madison drops to 11-6, 2-2.

App State aims to continue the team’s winning ways with upcoming Sun Belt contests at the Holmes Center, including vs. Georgia Southern on Jan. 12 and vs. Troy on Jan. 14.