2018 Georgia State Panthers football team

Last updated

2018 Georgia State Panthers football
Georgia State Athletics wordmark.svg
Conference Sun Belt Conference
DivisionEast Division
Record2–10 (1–7 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Travis Trickett (2nd season)
Offensive scheme Spread
Defensive coordinatorNate Fuqua (2nd season)
Base defense 4–2–5
Home stadium Georgia State Stadium
Seasons
  2017
2019  
2018 Sun Belt Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
Appalachian State xy$  7 1   11 2  
Troy x  7 1   10 3  
Georgia Southern  6 2   10 3  
Coastal Carolina  2 6   5 7  
Georgia State  1 7   2 10  
West Division
Louisiana xy  5 3   7 7  
Arkansas State x  5 3   8 5  
Louisiana–Monroe  4 4   6 6  
South Alabama  2 6   3 9  
Texas State  1 7   3 9  
Championship: Appalachian State 30, Louisiana 19
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant

The 2018 Georgia State Panthers football team represented Georgia State University (GSU) in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Panthers were led by second-year head coach Shawn Elliott. The season was the Panthers' sixth in the Sun Belt Conference, first within the East Division, and ninth since starting football. They played their home games at Georgia State Stadium. They finished the season 2–10, 1–7 in Sun Belt play to finish in last place in the East Division.

Contents

Recruiting

Recruits

As of December 21, 2016, the Panthers have a total of 20 recruits committed. Eight are three-star recruits.

Back B 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
College recruiting information
NameHometownSchoolHeightWeight40Commit date
Despelado Alexandre
OT
Deerfield Beach, FL Deerfield Beach High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)275 lb (125 kg)-Jun 27, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Danterius Ellington
QB
Fulton, MS Itawamba Community College 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)192 lb (87 kg)-Dec 16, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Jacorey Crawford
CB
Thomson, GA Thomson High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)205 lb (93 kg)-Nov 3, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Diondre Champaigne
WR
North Charleston, SC Fort Dorchester High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)194 lb (88 kg)-Sep 20, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg     ESPN:  3 stars.svg    (77)
Tyler Gore
CB
Little River, SC North Myrtle Beach High School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)170 lb (77 kg)-Jul 22, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Destin Coates
RB
Tallahassee, FL James S. Rickards High School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)190 lb (86 kg)-Jan 21, 2018 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg     ESPN:  3 stars.svg    (73)
Swift Lyle
QB
Mobile, AL St. Paul's Episcopal School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg)-Jan 31, 2018 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  4 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg     ESPN:  4 stars.svg    (80)
Sam Pinckney
WR
Greenwood, SC Greenwood High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)210 lb (95 kg)-Jan 21, 2018 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Akeem Smith
DT
Virginia Beach, VA Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)295 lb (134 kg)5.68Dec 5, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Courtney Williams
WR
Hogansville, GA Callaway High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)179 lb (81 kg)-Feb 7, 2018 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Blake Carroll
LB
Lawrenceville, GA Mountain View High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)219 lb (99 kg)4.84Dec 10, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Cornelius McCoy
WR
Deerfield Beach, FL Deerfield Beach High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)170 lb (77 kg)-Dec 17, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg     ESPN:  3 stars.svg    (73)
Quavian White
CB, RB
Greer, SC Greer High School 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)178 lb (81 kg)4.78Jul 22, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Dawson Hill
RB
Hoschton, GA Mill Creek High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)190 lb (86 kg)4.58Jul 4, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Travis Glover
OT
Vienna, GA Dooly County High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)310 lb (140 kg)-Feb 7, 2018 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
D'angelo Knight
S
North Charleston, SC Fort Dorchester High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)215 lb (98 kg)-Jul 27, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Jontrey Hunter
S
Tampa, FL Sickles High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)205 lb (93 kg)4.50Jan 29, 2018 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Seth Paige
RB
Glen Saint Mary, FL Baker County High School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)176 lb (80 kg)4.47Dec 17, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Brandon Joseph
OG
Lawrenceville, GA Central Gwinnett High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)280 lb (130 kg)-Jun 19, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Herman McCray
TE
West Palm Beach, FL Oxbridge Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)230 lb (100 kg)4.86Aug 13, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Mario Dungy
DT
Eight Mile, AL Blount County 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)285 lb (129 kg)-Aug 13, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Marlon Young
LB
Opelousas, LA Opelousas High School6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)245 lb (111 kg)4.67Oct 13, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
TJ Smith
DE
Laurinburg, NC Scotland County High School6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)240 lb (110 kg)-Jul 4, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Zachary Dixon
TE
Hollywood, FL Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)205 lb (93 kg)4.60Jan 28, 2018 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Tre Moore
DE
Johnston, SC Strom Thurmond High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)230 lb (100 kg)-Jun 27, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Johnathan Bass
OT
Marietta, GA Carlton J. Kell High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)270 lb (120 kg)5.20Nov 25, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Samuel Oshodi
WR
Fort Lauderdale, FL Cypress Bay High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)170 lb (77 kg)-Jul 23, 2017 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Overall recruit ranking:    247Sports: 94
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved February 27, 2018.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

AwardPlayerPositionYear
Fred Biletnikoff Award [1] Penny Hart WRJR
John Mackey Award [2] Camrin KnightTEJR

Sun Belt coaches poll

On July 19, 2018, the Sun Belt released their preseason coaches poll with the Panthers predicted to finish in third place in the East Division. [3]

Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams

The Panthers had five players selected to the preseason all-Sun Belt teams. [4]

Coaching and support staff

Name Position Consecutive season at
Georgia State in current position
Shawn Elliott Head coach 2nd
Travis Trickett Offensive coordinator, quarterback 2nd
Nate Fuqua Defensive coordinator, outside linebackers 2nd
Tim BowensAssistant coach, running backs 1st
Chris CollinsAssistant coach, safeties 2nd
Blake Gideon Assistant coach, cornerbacks 1st
Skylor MageeAssistant coach, defensive line 2nd
Trent McKnightAssistant coach, wide receivers 2nd
Josh SteppAssistant coach, tight ends 2nd
Cedric WilliamsAssistant coach, offensive line 2nd
Rusty Wright Assistant coach, inside linebacker 2nd
Steve WojcikowskiDirector of football operations2nd
Scott HolsoppleHead strength and conditioning coach 3rd
Bob MurphyAssociate AD, sports medicine and nutrition3rd
Reference: [5]

Schedule

Georgia State announced its 2018 football schedule on February 27, 2018. The 2018 schedule consists of 6 home and away games in the regular season. The Panthers host Sun Belt foes ULM, Coastal Carolina, Texas State, and in-state rivals Georgia Southern, and traveled to Troy, Arkansas State, Louisiana, and Appalachian State. Georgia State will not play Sun Belt foe South Alabama this year. [6] The team will play four non-conference games, two home game against Kennesaw State, an FCS team from the Big South Conference, Western Michigan from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), and two road games against NC State from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Memphis from the American Athletic Conference (AAC).

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 307:00 p.m.No. 5 (FCS) Kennesaw State * ESPN+ W 24–2023,088
September 812:30 p.m.at NC State * ACCRSN L 7–4156,017
September 148:00 p.m.at Memphis * ESPN L 22–5927,678
September 222:00 p.m. Western Michigan *
  • Georgia State Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
ESPN+L 15–3415,264
September 292:00 p.m. Louisiana–Monroe
  • Georgia State Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
ESPN+W 46–1414,368
October 47:30 p.m.at Troy ESPNU L 20–3722,903
October 187:30 p.m.at Arkansas State ESPNUL 35–5118,176
October 272:00 p.m. Coastal Carolina
  • Georgia State Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
ESPN+L 34–3715,648
November 32:00 p.m. Texas State
  • Georgia State Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
ESPN+L 31–4011,312
November 105:00 p.m.at Louisiana ESPN+L 22–3614,945
November 172:30 p.m.at Appalachian State ESPN+L 17–4522,315
November 242:00 p.m. Georgia Southern
  • Georgia State Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA (rivalry)
ESPN+L 14–3520,011
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time
Schedule source: [7]

    Game summaries

    Kennesaw State

    1234Total
    No. 5 (FCS) Owls776020
    Panthers01401024

    At NC State

    Week Two: Georgia State Panthers at NC State Wolfpack − Game summary
    Quarter1234Total
    Panthers70007
    Wolfpack101071441

    at Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC

    • Date: September 8, 2018
    • Game time: 12:30 p.m.
    • Game weather: Mostly Sunny
    • Game attendance: 56,017
    • Referee: David Epperley
    • TV announcers (ACCRSN): Wes Durham, James Bates
    • Sources:, [8] [9]
    Game information

    At Memphis

    1234Total
    Panthers376622
    Tigers211771459

    Western Michigan

    1234Total
    Broncos31714034
    Panthers096015

    Louisiana–Monroe

    Week Five: Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks at Georgia State Panthers – Game summary
    Quarter1234Total
    Warhawks770014
    Panthers141661046

    at Georgia State StadiumAtlanta, GA

    • Date: September 29
    • Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
    • Game weather: 83° · Partly Sunny · WNW – 5 mph.
    • Game attendance: 14,368
    • Referee: Ted Pitts
    • TV: ESPN+
    Game information

    At Troy

    1234Total
    Panthers0331420
    Trojans14901437

    At Arkansas State

    1234Total
    Panthers70141435
    Red Wolves201471051

    Coastal Carolina

    1234Total
    Chanticleers17371037
    Panthers7621034

    Texas State

    1234Total
    Bobcats13020740
    Panthers7302131

    At Louisiana

    1234Total
    Panthers077822
    Ragin' Cajuns7632036

    At Appalachian State

    1234Total
    Panthers703717
    Mountaineers143141445

    Georgia Southern

    1234Total
    Eagles01315735
    Panthers0001414

    References

    1. "2018 Biletnikoff Award Watch List". July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
    2. "2018 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released" (PDF). July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
    3. "Mountaineers, Red Wolves Selected as Division Favorites in 2018 Sun Belt Football Coaches' Preseason Poll".
    4. "Sun Belt Announces 2018 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams".
    5. 2018 Georgia State Panthers Football Media Guide
    6. "THREE NATIONAL TV GAMES HIGHLIGHT 2018 SCHEDULE". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Georgia State University. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
    7. "THREE NATIONAL TV GAMES HIGHLIGHT 2018 SCHEDULE". GeorgiaStateSports.com. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
    8. "College Football TV Schedule: Week 2, 2018". 506sports.com. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
    9. "Boxscore for Football vs Georgia State – Ag Day, White Out on 9/8/2018". gopack.com. NC State University. September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2018.