Appalachian State is hiring NC State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Eli Drinkwitz as its new head coach, pending approval of a contract by the school’s board of trustees on Thursday morning, sources told ESPN.
Drinkwitz, 35, replaces former Mountaineers coach Scott Satterfield, who left to become Louisville’s new coach.
Drinkwitz’s hiring was first reported by the Winston-Salem Journal.
Drinkwitz has guided NC State’s offense the past three seasons, after spending the previous two seasons as as an assistant coach at Boise State. He also worked at Auburn and Arkansas State.
This past season, the Wolfpack ranked No. 1 in the ACC in passing (327.7 yards per game), tied for third in scoring (35.6 points) and 12th in rushing (143.7 yards). NC State quarterback Ryan Finley led the league in passing, completing 67.9 percent of his attempts for 3,789 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Drinkwitz previously coached Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien as a freshman in 2015, and he was a quality control assistant when Auburn won a national title in 2010.
Satterfield went 51-24 in six seasons with the Mountaineers, guiding them to a share of three Sun Belt Conference titles and three straight bowl victories.
Appalachian State plays Middle Tennessee in Saturday night’s (9 p.m. ET on ESPN) R+L Carriers Bowl in New Orleans.