2024 Charlotte 49ers football team explained

Year:	2024
Team:	Charlotte 49ers
Sport:	football
Conference:	American Athletic Conference
Short Conf:	AAC
Record:	0–0
Conf Record:	0–0
Head Coach:	Biff Poggi
Hc Year:	2nd
Off Coach:	Mike Miller
Oc Year:	2nd
Def Coach:	Ryan Osborn
Dc Year:	2nd
Stadium:	Jerry Richardson Stadium

The 2024 Charlotte 49ers football team represent the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 49ers play their home games at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, and compete in their second season as a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). They are led by second-year head coach Biff Poggi.

Coaching staff

On December 4, offensive line coach and assistant head coach Kyle DeVan accepted the offensive line coach job at his alma mater.^[1] On December 7 the 49ers announced the hiring of Colorado tight ends coach Tim Brewster for the same position at Charlotte. He also takes on assistant head coaching duties from the departing DeVan. John Morookian made an internal move from tight ends to offensive line. Jason Barnes joined the coaching staff from the analyst pool to take over wide receivers.^[2] On January 8, North Carolina defensive analyst Ty Greenwood was named cornerbacks coach.^[3]

Name	Position	Seasons at Charlotte	Alma mater	Previous
		2	Duke (1984)	Associate head coach (Michigan)
Jonathon Jacobson	Assistant head coach/senior advisor	2	Penn (1984)	Chairman of HighSage Ventures
	Associate head coach/tight ends coach	1	Illinois (1983)	Tight ends (Colorado)
	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach	2	UAB (2014)	Co-offensive coordinator/Tight ends (Maryland)
	Defensive coordinator/outside linebackers coach	2	Bridgewater State (2010)	Defensive assistant (Baltimore Ravens)
Jason Barnes	Wide receivers coach	1	So. Car. (2010)	Offensive Analyst (Coastal Car.)
Wayne Dorsey	Defensive line coach	2	Ole Miss (2018)	Defensive line coach (Saint Frances Academy)
Greg Froelich	Running backs coach/special teams coordinator	2	Michigan (2017)	Special teams analyst (Illinois)
Ty Greenwood	Cornerbacks coach	1	Delaware St (2004)	Defensive analyst (North Carolina)
	Wide receivers coach/passing coordinator	2	Kentucky (2011)	Quarterbacks coach (Auburn)
Greer Martini	Linebackers coach	2	Notre Dame (2018)	Graduate assistant (LSU)
John Morookian		2	Toledo (2011)	Offensive analyst (Michigan)
Justin Sanders	Safeties coach	2	Illinois (2012)	Defensive backs coach (Texas Southern)
Reference:^[4]

Recruiting

Position key

Halfback	HB		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Recruiting class

The following recruits and transfers have signed letters of intent or verbally committed to the Charlotte 49ers football program for the 2024 recruiting year.

Key transfers

Al-Ma'hi Ali	Defensive back	Saint Francis	Philadelphia, PA	Saint Frances Academy	JR	5'-11"	175 lbs
Sammy Anderson Jr.	Cornerback	Cincinnati	Dayton, OH	Trotwood-Madison	RS-JR	6'-2"	170 lbs
Max Brown	Quarterback	Florida	Tulsa, OK	Lincoln Christian School	RS-FR	6'-3"	200 lbs
Eltayeb Bushra	Safety	Fairmont State	Herndon, VA	Herndon	JR	6'-2"	200 lbs
Dre Butler	Defensive lineman	Michigan State	Covington, GA	Newton	GS	6'-5"	300 lbs
CJ Clinkscales	Cornerback	Boston College	Buford, GA	Buford	RS-FR	5'-7"	173 lbs
Mo Clipper Jr.	Inside offensive lineman	Tennessee	Alpharetta, GA	Milton	RS-FR	6'-4"	305 lbs
Derrick Edwards	Safety	Louisville	Cocoa, FL	Space Coast	RS-SO	5'-11"	175 lbs
Tyler Gibson	Offensive tackle	Georgia Tech	Alpharetta, GA	Johns Creek	RS-FR	6'-5"	288 lbs
Jonny Hassard	Offensive tackle	UMass	Mount Ulla, NC	West Rowan	SR	6'-4"	275 lbs
Jordan Herman	Offensive tackle	Florida	Hutchinson, KS	Fort Mill	RS-SO	6'-8"	370 lbs
Aidan Kaler	Linebacker	Stony Brook	Sayville, NY	Sayville	SR	6'-2"	230 lbs
D'Andre Martin	EDGE	South Carolina	Colonial Heights, VA	Life Christian Academy	RS-FR	6'-4"	306 lbs
Mitchell Mayes	Offensive tackle	Clemson	Raleigh, NC	Leesville Road	SR	6'-3.5"	305 lbs
Treyveon McGee	Safety	Iowa State	Detroit, MI	Ypsilanti	RS-JR	6'-2"	205 lbs
Cartevious Norton	Running back	Iowa State	Waycross, GA	Ware County	SO	5'-11"	210 lbs
Justin Olson	Wide receiver	Middle Tennessee	Huntersville, NC	North Mecklenburg	SR	6'-2"	190 lbs
Anthony Romphf	Cornerback	Western Michigan	Southfield, MI	Southfield	RS-JR	6'-0"	180 lbs
Xavier Simmons	Linebacker	Missouri	Greensboro, NC	Northwest Guilford	RS-FR	6'-3"	225 lbs
Jordan Spasojevic-Moko	Inside offensive lineman	Texas A&M	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia	Brisbane Rhinos	RS-JR	6'-5"	300 lbs
Donovan Spellman	Offensive tackle	Appalachian State	Clayton, NC	Knightdale	SO	6'-4"	210 lbs
CJ Stokes	Running back	Michigan	Columbia, SC	Hammond School	SO	5'-10"	188 lbs

Departing players

2023 NFL Draft

See main article: 2023 NFL draft. The following players were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.^[5]

7

256

WR

Green Bay Packers

Outgoing transfers

John Anderson	S	None
Brian Bates	LB	Delaware State
Micah Bowens	QB	None
Derek Boykins	LB	None
Tymere Burton	LB	None
TJ Butler	EDGE	None
Shadrick Byrd	RB	Withdrawn
Nico Crawford	LS	None
Jordan Daniels	OL	None
Ephraim Deese	DL	Iowa Western CC
Damani Dent	S	None
Jai'Lun Hampton	OL	UT Martin
Nikhai Hill-Green	LB	Withdrawn
Miguel Jackson	DL	Utah State
Demetrius Knight Jr.	LB	South Carolina
Manning Lasso	WR	None
Rene Miller	OL	None
Arabee Muslim	OT	None
Doug Newsome	CB	None
Omari Orgertrice	S	Johnson C. Smith
Quinten Patten	WR	None
BJ Ragland	DL	None
Durell Robinson	RB	UConn
Micah Sumpter	OT	East Tennessee State
Roger Walters	WR	Iowa Western CC
Issac Washington	DL	None

Notes

Depth chart

Awards and honors

Preseason

Hornung Award^[6]	Shadrick Byrd	RB	RJR
Wuerffel Trophy^[7]	Mike Kelly	DL	JR

In Season

CSC Comeback Player of the Year^[8]	Nikhai Hill-Green	LB	RSR
Ray Guy Award^[9]	Grant Gonya	K/P	SR

AAC Special Teams Player of the Week^[10]	Grant Gonya	P	SR	Florida
AAC Defensive Player of the Week^[11]	Demetrius Knight II	LB	SR	ECU
AAC Defensive Player of the Week^[12]	Nikhai Hill-Green	LB	RSR	Tulsa

Schedule

^{[13] [14] [15]}

Television

Charlotte 49ers home games and conference road games are broadcast through the American Athletics Conference's television partners ESPN, and ABC Sports.^{[16] [17] [18] [19]}

Radio

Radio coverage for all games are broadcast by IMG College through the Charlotte 49ers Radio Network flagship station WZGV ESPN Radio 730 AM The Game, and the TuneIn Charlotte 49ers IMG Sports Network app. The radio announcers are "Voice of the 49ers" Matt Swierad with play-by-play alongside NFL veteran Al Wallace providing color commentary and Bobby Rosinski and Walker Mehl providing sideline reports.^[20]

Preseason poll

The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at AAC Media Day on July 25, 2023.^[21]

• First place votes in

Media poll
1	Tulane	457 (20)
2	UTSA	440 (9)
3	SMU	397 (3)
4	Memphis	362 (1)
5	Florida Atlantic	312
6	East Carolina	303
7	North Texas	261
8	UAB	209 (1)
9	Navy	199
10	Temple	182
11	Tulsa	160
12	Rice	138
13	South Florida	86
14	Charlotte	64

Game summaries

James Madison

See also: 2024 James Madison Dukes football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	JMU	CHAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
James Madison	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

North Carolina

See also: 2024 North Carolina Tar Heels football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	UNC	CHAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Gardner-Webb

See also: 2024 Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	GWU	CHAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Gardner-Webb	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Indiana

See also: 2024 Indiana Hoosiers football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	Indiana	CHAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Rice

See also: 2024 Rice Owls football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	CHAR	Rice
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Rice	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

East Carolina

See also: 2024 East Carolina Pirates football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	ECU	CHAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
ECU	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Navy

See also: 2024 Navy Midshipmen football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	CHAR	Navy
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Navy	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Memphis

See also: 2024 Memphis Tigers football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	CHAR	Memphis
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Memphis	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Tulane

See also: 2024 Tulane Green Wave football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	Tulane	CHAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tulane	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

South Florida

See also: 2024 South Florida Bulls football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	USF	CHAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Florida	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Florida Atlantic

See also: 2024 Florida Atlantic Owls football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	CHAR	FAU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Florida Atlantic	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

UAB

See also: 2024 UAB Blazers football team.

• Sources:

Game notes:

Statistics	UAB	CHAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UAB	Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Charlotte	Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Attendance

Season	Games	Sellouts	W–L (%)	Attendance	Average	Best
2024	0	0	0–0	0	0	0

Notes and References

1. Web site: Trent Bray Names Four To Coaching Staff. OSUBeavers.com. December 4, 2023. December 11, 2023.
2. Web site: Poggi Adds Accomplished Veteran Brewster to Staff; Lands Morookian, Barnes in New Roles. OSUBeavers.com. December 7, 2023. December 11, 2023.
3. Web site: Poggi Names Ty Greenwood as Cornerbacks Coach. OSUBeavers.com. January 8, 2024. April 24, 2024.
4. Web site: Charlotte 49ers Football Staff. Charlotte49ers.com. November 23, 2022.
5. Web site: 2023 NFL Draft: Packers select Charlotte WR Grant DuBose in seventh round, No. 256 overall. packers.com . April 29, 2023.
6. Web site: Byrd Named to Hornung Award Watch List. Charlotte49ers.com. August 3, 2023. August 3, 2023.
7. Web site: WUERFFEL TROPHY WATCH LISTS. Charlotte49ers.com. August 3, 2023. August 3, 2023.
8. Web site: Nikhai Hill-Green Named to Comeback Player of the Year Watch List. charlotte49ers.com. October 11, 2023. October 22, 2023.
9. Web site: Ray Guy Award 2023 Watchlist. rayguyaward.com. November 9, 2023. November 10, 2023.
10. Web site: Gonya Named AAC Special Teams Player of the Week. Charlotte49ers.com. September 25, 2023. September 25, 2023.
11. Web site: Knight II Named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Charlotte49ers.com. October 23, 2023. October 23, 2023.
12. Web site: Hill-Green Named American Defensive Player of the Week Following Comeback Win at Tulsa. Charlotte49ers.com. November 6, 2023. November 6, 2023.
13. Web site: 2023 Charlotte Football Schedule . November 23, 2022.
14. Web site: Charlotte's American Athletic Conference Football Opponents Announced Through 2026. Charlotte49ers.com. November 9, 2022. November 23, 2022.
15. Web site: Five Kick Times Announced for 2024 Football Schedule. Charlotte49ers.com. May 30, 2024. May 30, 2024.
16. Web site: ESPN signs 12-year, $1 billion deal with AAC, moves lots of games to ESPN+. 2019-03-19. Awful Announcing. en-US. 2019-05-03.
17. Web site: AAC, ESPN Agree To 12-Year Media-Rights Deal Worth $1B. www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. en. 2019-05-03.
18. Web site: AAC leader Mike Aresco touts new media rights deal, addresses ESPN+ criticism. Murschel. Matt. Orlando Sentinel. April 28, 2019 . en-US. 2019-05-03.
19. Web site: Television Information . 2023-04-05 . theamerican.org . en.
20. Web site: Niners Live Begins Monday. Charlotte49ers.com. August 20, 2019. September 5, 2021.
21. Web site: Tulane is the Favorite in 2023 American Preseason Media Poll. theAmerican.org . 21 September 2023.