App State Brew 6/5: Among The Elite

Hackett Earns Spot On College Football Hall Of Fame Ballot For Second Straight Year

June 05, 2026

Good morning, App State Fam. Glad to see the rest of the baseball world taking notice of our little slice of heaven….

What all do we have stirring in today’s Brew? Check it out below.

🏈 Among The Elite
⛳️ History Maker
⏱️ Countin’ The Days
🟡 And much more

🔼 Among The Elite. One of the best defensive players to ever put on an App State football uniform was recognized this week among college football’s best.

This week, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced the names on the 2027 Ballot under consideration for induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.

For the second consecutive year, All-American Mountaineer linebacker Dino Hackett was among that group. The native of Greensboro, N.C., still holds nine App State records from his time as a linebacker in Boone, including single-game tackles (27 against ETSU in his final collegiate game) and single-season tackles (200 as a senior). In addition to the 27 tackles, he also finished that 20-3 victory against ETSU with two blocked punts, two fumble recoveries and one interception.

The 2027 ballot includes 80 players and nine coaches from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 99 players and 39 coaches from the NCAA divisional and NAIA ranks.

🔼 History Maker. App State women’s golfer Zoe Duval added yet another piece of history to her name this week.

Duval became the first member of the App State women's golf program to receive All-Sun Belt recognition, as the freshman earned a spot on the first team based on her standout 2025-26 season for the Mountaineers.
 
With national rankings determining All-Sun Belt honors, Duval had the fifth-best ranking among Sun Belt golfers to secure her spot on the six-player first team.

🔼 Sideline Addition. Another piece to the puzzle was announced this week for the App State men’s basketball program.

This week, head coach Dustin Kerns announced the hiring of new assistant coach. Jonathan Mitchell for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

A national champion and all-conference player, Mitchell is a rising star in the coaching world, having developed players at the collegiate and professional level and most recently helping Mercer post its best record in 12 years.

92 Days Away. The year - 1989. The player - Dwayne Pelham.

Pelham led a defensive unit with 92 solo tackles that season, which at the time ranked as the second-highest single-season total in program history.

Despite starting his collegiate career at running back, Pelham transformed into a two-time all-conference performer for the Mountaineers. During that 1989 season, Pelham set a single-season program record with eight forced fumbles.

He was a member of three SoCon Championship squads and was inducted into the App State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.

How many career tackles did College Football Hall of Fame candidate Dino Hackett rack up during his time with the Mountaineers?

Got a guess?

Scroll down to see if you know your stuff!

All times listed in ET

Wednesday, June 10th
👟 Track & Field at NCAA Championships @ 8:35 p.m. ET (Eugene, Ore.)

Answer: 372

🟡 Have a great one, y’all!