Presson Norwood-
Former Appalachian State linebacker Eric Boggs was three-year starter on the football team. Before that, he was just another high school recruit trying to figure out what school to attend.
According to 247 Sports, Boggs was rated as a two-star athlete coming out of Belton-Honea Path high school.
According to Boggs, his recruiting experience was a very memorable and fun process.
“It was really cool to be recruited out of high school because my dream was always to play football in college. However, it was stressful at times too. There are a lot of good schools out there, so it was hard trying to decide which school would be the best fit for me athletically and academically,” said Boggs.
Boggs said that there were as many as 30 schools that contacted him about joining their program, but only eight to ten that offered him a scholarship.
Boggs said that his favorite experience from the whole recruitment process was getting to travel and visit all the schools that were recruiting him.
Boggs ultimately picked Appalachian because of the atmosphere provided by the coaches and fans. He said felt as if he could trust the coaching and knew he would be treated well.
Myquon Stout is a fellow member of the football team, playing nose tackle. His recruitment process was like that of Boggs’.
"Being recruited out of high school was a little stressful. Going to visit all these different colleges choosing the one that fits you. Meeting all these different coaches and players to see which team you are going to spend the next 4 to 5 years with,” said Stout.
Stout was also a two-star recruit, according to 247 Sports. He had 35 schools that had contacted him and 23 that had offered him a scholarship.
Stout’s favorite memory from the recruitment process was getting to try all the different foods from the areas that he went to.
Stout said he picked Appalachian because it was the one place he visited that felt like home.
Elias McMurry is the long snapper for the Appalachian football team. Being a long snapper, he was unrated on 247 Sports.
According to McMurry, the recruiting process was very different for him than it was for people that play other positions.
“The recruiting process was an interesting experience for myself because of my position. long snappers are not recruited like a QB is and we know that going in. We have to self-advertise and create the exposure ourselves,” said McMurry.
McMurry’s recruitment process was different from positional players in that if he was going to get noticed, he had to present himself to coaches, rather than being sought out like other players.
McMurry said that he had several smaller schools contact him about playing for them, but he had one goal in his mind throughout the whole process.
“I made the goal for myself that I wanted to go into division 1 football and had to figure out how. I went to several college camps and introduce my skill to college coaches to get my name on their radar… I did very well at Appalachian’s camp and two weeks later they offered me a preferred walk on spot... I came back for a few practices and committed the fall of my senior year,” said McMurry.
McMurry’s favorite memory from the whole process was getting to meet a lot of high-profile people, like Nick Saban, the head coach at Alabama, Frank Beamer, the former head coach at Virginia Tech, and Dave Doeren from NC State.
McMurry and Stout will both be back at Appalachian next year to continue their football careers, while Boggs is off to try and earn a spot in the NFL.