By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Georgia State football program started in 2010. Head coach Shawn Elliott is entering his seventh season as the head coach in Atlanta. Elliott has led the Panthers to four bowl games and an overall record of 34 – 38.

He had his most wins in a season in 2021, finishing 8 – 5 and winning the Camellia Bowl.

They were not able to carry that momentum into 2022, going 4 – 8. That snapped a streak of three consecutive winning seasons.

Last season did start with South Carolina and North Carolina. Georgia State was tied with the Tar Heels in the fourth quarter and couldn’t get that one extra push in the 35-28 loss.

The pass defense didn’t show up in an inexcusable home loss to Charlotte, and overall the team was 0-5 in games decided by a touchdown or less.

The offense should be good. They are led by senior quarterback Darren Grainger. He passed for 2,443 yards, 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 734 yards and 6 scores.

Star receiver Jamari Thrash transferred to Louisville, but the next six top receivers are back. They also added junior Jacari Carter, who transferred from Merrimack. He’s a speedster and he will add more options to the passing game.

Senior running back Marcus Carroll rushed for 622 yards, 7 TD’s and averaged 5 yards per carry in 2022. The offense should increase his workload this season. Senior Freddie Brock transferred from Maine and he adds depth and speed.

The offensive line struggled with pass protection last year. Travis Glover is a 6-6, 323-pound tackle who can work either side, transfers Colin Henrich (South Carolina) and Tyden Ferris (Central Michigan) are good interior presences. The rest of the line is young.

The defense struggled last season. Chad Staggs from Coastal Carolina has been hired as the new defensive coordinator. He will have to figure out how to fix the secondary because they were the weak link.

Top defensive tackle Thomas Gore is a Miami Hurricane now, but hybrid outside linebacker Shamar McCollum and Clemson transfer Kevin Swint have the upside to add plenty of plays in the backfield.

They’ll have to shine with Jamil Muhammad gone to USC, but overall the linebackers should be a strength with the combination of Jordan Veneziale and Jontrey Hunter sure to combine for over 150 tackles again.

The big question is can the Panthers avoid giving away close games? The Sun Belt conference is tough so each week will be challenging.

They will need to get off to a strong start. The season begins with Rhode Island, UConn and at Charlotte. They should be able to win all of these games. They lost to Charlotte last year, 42 – 41 so I expect them to avenge that.

Week 4 is September 23, at Coastal Carolina. This is a pivotal game and the conference opener. The Panthers are 3-3 against the Chanticleers, handing them one of their two losses in 2021 only to get mauled 41-24 at home last year. One interesting fact is the road team has won all six times in the series.

The next games are Troy, Marshall, at Louisiana, at Georgia Southern, James Madison, and Appalachian State. I’m not sure if they will be favored in any of those.

GSU travels to Death Valley to face LSU, November 18. I think we know the outcome of this game.

The season finale is at Old Dominion. I believe Georgia State will have five wins going into that game. Let’s see if they can get back to a bowl game in 2023.