By Russell V.
SouthernPigskin.com

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The future seems to be bright again for those in Boone, after a week of questions and uncertainty.

The Jerry Moore era at Appalachian State is officially over. The Scott Satterfield era has officially begun.

The 39-year-old,  who played and coached for the Mountaineers, was recently named the Mountaineers’ 20th head coach, much to the delight of players and fans. Satterfield has long been a fan favorite, having spent 17 of the past 22 years with the program, and has one of the better Twitter names on the social media site: @winthegame.

“It is with great pride that we announce that Coach Satterfield has agreed to lead Appalachian State’s football program into a new era,” Appalachian State director of athletics Charlie Cobb said during Satterfield’s introductory press conference. “Scott has been successful in every role that he has filled during his 15-year coaching career and obviously has great familiarity and love for Appalachian State. His enthusiasm, energy and ability to coach young men in both football and life is second to none. During the interview process, he impressed the search committee with his vision for Appalachian State football and his plan to implement that vision on and off the field. I am confident that with Coach Satterfield leading our football program, Appalachian will maintain its unrivaled success for years to come.”

The job is a dream come true for Satterfield, who was afraid he would never set foot on campus again.

“As many of you know, in 2006-2007 I had many opportunities throughout that time to leave,” he said at the press conference. “Quite frankly, I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay here. I love this place. I wanted to be a part of it. After the ’08 season, when we didn’t win a fourth consecutive national championship, I decided I needed to take a break and grow as a coach and as a person and to take a step back out of that comfort zone.

“You know when I left, all the while knowing I wanted to come back here, I wasn’t guaranteed a spot at Appalachian ever. It was kind of funny because Bryce, my oldest, last fall back at FIU said, ‘When are we going back to App’? I said, ‘I don’t know, we may not ever go back to App.’ He said, ‘What? We’re going back to App,’ and I said, ‘I don’t know,’ so I had no idea.”

Satterfield takes over an Appalachian State squad primed to make another run at a national championship next season. The former quarterback and offensive coordinator will have one of the more explosive offensive attacks in the nation, as the Mountaineers return star quarterback Jamal Jackson (3,278 passing yards, 21 TDs; 328 rushing yards, six TDs) and record-setting receiver Sean Price (81 catches, 1,196 yards, eight TDs).

“I am definitely excited and I know that the guys on the team will be excited that Coach Satterfield has the opportunity to lead the team,” Jackson said. “He brought a whole new vibe to the program when he came back last year. He has a great deal of passion and I really enjoy playing for him. I never knew him prior to him coming back, but it didn’t take long for me to buy into what he was doing and I am confident that will be the case for the whole team going forward.”

Defensively, the Mountaineers may need some work. They lose four of their top six tackles from this season, including linebackers Jeremy Kimbrough and Brandon Grier and defensive backs Troy Sanders and Demetrius McCray. Satterfield said that he plans on keeping the offense the same, but that he will try to shore up ASU’s defense, which was inconsistent through most of the 2012 campaign.

“I think if I had a motto to say for our team it would be attack,” he said. “We want to be an attacking style football team just like we’ve been on offense. We’ve kept the opponent on their heels. I want to keep them on their heels at all three phrases. Those are the things we’re going to try to implement moving forward.”

The former Mountaineer quarterback also added that he wants Appalachian State players to become “champions on and off the field,” adding that “it starts with an academic plan we’ve got in place. … We’re going to be out on this campus. We’re going to be seen. It’s going to mean something to our guys and it’s going to be a top priority of mine.”

The future seems to be bright again for those in Boone, after a week of questions and uncertainty. Satterfield looks like the perfect candidate to lead the Mountaineers back to the top – someone whose passion and loyalty to Appalachian State matches that of the school’s passionate fan base.

“I would just state that I’m going to give my all for Appalachian State,” Satterfied said at the close of his press conference. “I’ll just ask that you do the same.”