App State has received hard commits from two explosive offensive players, bolstering an already potent offense. Quarterback Jett Niu and running back Max Guest both made their intentions known they plan to suit up for the Mountaineers in 2025.
App State Goes Almost Transcontinental
It’s not often a player travels down the mountain to App State, but that’s exactly what will happen with Jett Niu, their most recent commit. Jett will make the descent from Lehi, Utah (4,564 ft) to Boone, North Carolina (3,333 ft), almost 2,000 miles away come 2025.
Jett made an unofficial visit to Boone on March 23, but he has been their #1 target for the quarterback position since at least January 17, when he was initially offered, marking that as his first FBS offer. App State offensive coordinator Frank Ponce recently reconnected with Jett during a visit to Lehi High School for a spring workout.
App State was able to get their man, beating out several P5 schools Arizona, Oklahoma State, Utah State, Washington State, just to name a few. Jett was rated by 247 sports as the 99th best quarterback in the country, the best quarterback and 23rd best overall player coming out of Utah, and a three-star rating of 84.
App State has been known for decades as a ground and pound ball team. Running the ball over and over and over again, often to the chagrin of their passionate fans. So, it is interesting that Frank Ponce not only pursued but received a hard commitment from a player who threw for 3,005 yards and 33 touchdowns last season.
In addition to his stellar passing and touchdown stats, Jett earned second team 6A all-state and first team 6A All-Region 3 selections. All this after helping lead state semifinalist Lehi High to a 10-3 record in 2023. In March, Jett competed at the Elite 11 Southern California Regional Camp against other West Coast top quarterbacks, and earned some praise from 247 Sports analyst Gregg Biggins, “Niu sprinkled in some nice throws throughout the afternoon and looked comfortable moving his feet inside the pocket. He showed an easy delivery that allowed him to get the ball out with good rhythm.”
Jett will return to Boone mid-June for his official visit and App State’s 2025 quarterback.
App State Commit Will Stay Close to Home
As mentioned above, App State has long been known for their run game. True to form, App State ran over to neighboring mountain town, Asheville, to get their future running back, Max Guest. This multi-sport letterman should look to make an immediate impact when game one rolls around for the 2025 season.
247 currently has Guest rated as the 111th best running back in the country and the 31st best player coming out of North Carolina, but if his recent success is any indication, he could wind up higher in the rankings.
Had a foot injury not nearly cost him all of last season, who knows how many more yards Guest could’ve gained, but 2,600 yards in a shortened season is nothing to sneeze at. Since healed, Guest completed a season best 10.75 second 100-meter time in addition to a top 10 finish in the North Carolina 3A state track championships. Not to mention, Guest and his teammates also posted a second-place finish in the 4×100 meter relay and took third place in the 4×200 meter relay.
It’s no wonder that Guest is no stranger to Boone or App State considering it is only 90-minutes away from his hometown, Asheville. He has made countless unofficial visits to App State, including multiple game days, after the Mountaineers extended Guest’s first FBS offer in Sept. 2022.
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