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Coming Home: Nic Cardwell is Back on Appalachian State’s Coaching Staff

By Nathan Ham

Former App State tight end Nic Cardwell is back where it all started. The Kernersville native played at Appalachian from 2004-07 and spent seven years on the coaching staff before going to Louisville with former head coach Scott Satterfield.

On Monday, App State head coach Shawn Clark announced that Cardwell is back with the program as an offensive assistant.

“As an alum and former staff member here, Nic understands the championship culture at App State and he bleeds black and gold,” said Clark. “He will continue to help us push this program to new heights. We’re excited to welcome him and his family back to Boone.

Cardwell started his career as a walk-on in 2003 and ended up playing all 56 games for App State from 2004-7, which included three straight Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) National Championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Cardwell stayed in Boone and joined the Mountaineer coaching staff in 2008 under head coach Jerry Moore. He stayed with the Mountaineers through 2014 when he took a job coaching the offensive line at North Greenville in 2015. After two years at North Greenville, Cardwell came back to App State in 2017 and 2018 before departing to Louisville in 2019. Now in his third stint with the Mountaineers, Cardwell is excited to get back to work for his alma mater.

“This is a dream come true for my family and me,” Cardwell said. “We bleed black and gold. This is a job I’ve wanted for a long time. I’m more than excited to come back and be able to give back to this football program that gave so much to me. The opportunity to work with Coach Clark is going to be something special, and I’m ready to get started.”