App State — Sun Belt
PPA off / def
0.10 / 0.18
2025
Class rank
#59
class of 2026
Returning PPA
38%
returning production
2026 schedule
2025 results (5–8)
Statistical comps — 2025 App State's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (38 in / 42 out)
| Incoming |
|---|
| J'Marion Burnette | RB | ← Houston | ★★★ |
| Devon Manuel | OT | ← Florida | ★★★ |
| Devin Henderson | S | ← Liberty | ★★★ |
| Cary Grant | S | ← Charlotte | ★★★ |
| Malachi Singleton | QB | ← Purdue | ★★★ |
| Ki'Shawn Harvey | DL | ← East Tennessee State | ★★★ |
| Kaleb Purdy | S | ← Tennessee Tech | ★★★ |
| Ja'Cari Henderson | CB | ← UCF | ★★★ |
| + 30 more |
Origins
Moore won three straight FCS titles and then, in 2007, beat fifth-ranked Michigan in Ann Arbor — the biggest upset the sport has recorded. Moved to the FBS in 2014 and kept beating people it should not.
Founded 1899 · Watauga Academy, founded by two brothers to train mountain teachers · first football 1928 · defined by Jerry Moore
All-time record
All-time
259–169–7
1932–2025
Win %
60.3%
57 seasons played
Winning seasons
29
51% of seasons
By level: D-II 1–2–1 (1932–1971) · FBS 154–105–5 (1972–2025) · FCS 104–62–1 (1982–2013)
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 2019 | 13 | 1 | Sun Belt |
| 2006 | 12 | 1 | Southern |
| 2018 | 11 | 2 | Sun Belt |
| 2015 | 11 | 2 | Sun Belt |
| 2009 | 11 | 2 | Southern |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1932 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 363 | 55% |
40% | 112 of 136 | 5.4 | 11% |
| 2nd down | 275 | 41% |
47% | 33 of 136 | 6.2 | 13% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 43 | 63% |
58% | — | 2.3 | 0% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 61 | 13% |
31% | — | 4.8 | 13% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 66 | 12% |
21% | — | 4.7 | 9% |
| 4th down | 27 | 26% |
63% | — | 7.4 | 26% |
167 drives · 33% ended in points · 7.1 plays and 37.7 yards per drive · 0.51 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 2 | Lindenwood |
AJ Swann pass complete to Dalton Stroman for 72 yds for a TD (Dominic De Freitas KICK) |
72 | 5.86 |
| 11 | Georgia Southern |
(03:18) No Huddle-Shotgun #5 A.Swann pass complete short right to #1 D.Dozier caught at GS… |
17 | 4.10 |
| 6 | Oregon State |
JJ Kohl pass complete to Davion Dozier for 68 yds to the ORST 5 for a 1ST down |
68 | 4.05 |
| 11 | Georgia Southern |
(07:31) No Huddle-Shotgun #5 A.Swann pass complete deep left to #15 J.Barnes caught at GSO… |
22 | 4.01 |
| 8 | Coastal Carolina |
Juan Berchal run for 22 yds to the CCU 39 for a 1ST down |
22 | 3.78 |
| 11 | Georgia Southern |
(13:48) No Huddle-Shotgun #5 A.Swann pass complete deep right to #1 D.Dozier caught at APP… |
36 | 3.72 |
| 9 | Old Dominion |
No Huddle #37 I.Ratliff pass complete short right to #10 C.Phares caught at ODU35, for 23 … |
23 | 3.69 |
| 6 | Oregon State |
JJ Kohl pass complete to Dalton Stroman for 35 yds to the ORST 46 for a 1ST down |
35 | 3.62 |