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Thursday, April 17, 2008
How Georgia State can be successful in football
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia State will announce later today that it is starting a football program. It’s just one man’s opinion, but here are five things I believe the Panthers are going to have to do if they want to be successful.
1. Follow the Georgia Southern plan: When coach Erk Russell was hired in 1981 to re-start the football program in Statesboro, he put together a very detailed plan for success. The plan included reaching out to all the high school coaches in the state to let them know that there was now another opportunity for their players. Russell and his staff went to every club, every organization that would let them come speak and spread the word about Georgia Southern football. Coach Russell was the best motivator of people I have ever met. He never wavered from his plan and sold the Georgia Southern program to the state before the Eagles had ever played a game.
2. Hire a coach who has recruited this state: This is crucial. Georgia State’s new head coach should not have to introduce himself when he gets to a high school in Georgia. The Panthers need someone who knows the high school coaches well enough to trust their judgment. You’re not going to beat Georgia or Georgia Tech on a player they want. So it’s crucial to identify the player who may be a couple of inches too short and half a step too slow to play at Division I-A but can be a very good player at the I-AA level. The high school coach can help you find those guys if they trust you.
There are a lot of people out there who fit this description but here are four off the top of my head:
Hugh Nall, offensive line coach, Auburn: Nall played on Georgia’s 1980 national championship team and was on coach Russell’s original staff at Georgia Southern.
George Godsey, quarterbacks coach, Central Florida: The former Georgia Tech quarterback remains very popular in the state.
Brad Lambert, defensive coordinator, Wake Forest: The Deacons had 19 players from Georgia on their ACC championship team in 2006. Lambert, a former assistant to Jim Donnan at Georgia, recruits heavily here.
Rodney Garner, assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator, Georgia: Garner would be perfect for this job but it would be very difficult to get him out of Athens. But you can still ask.
3. Make it your goal to eventually play in the Southern Conference: The Colonial Athletic Association is a fine league but college football is built around rivalries. All of Georgia State’s natural rivalries in I-AA football (Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Chattanooga, Furman) are in the Southern Conference. When Georgia State’s new president arrives (Dr. Carl Patton retires in June) later this year, he or she should start reaching out to the fellow presidents in the Southern Conference to determine what it is going to take to gain membership. Then do it. Whatever it takes. Whatever it costs.
4. Play anybody, anywhere: Once the program is up and running be willing to go on the road and play anybody. This is the philosophy Bobby Bowden used to build Florida State. Yes, you’ll take your lumps. But the players will learn what it is going to take to be successful. Schedule a game with Georgia Southern as soon as possible. Chances are Georgia Southern will only want to play at their place and not come to Atlanta. That’s okay. Play the game anyway.
5. Make the Georgia Dome your home: The critics will be all over you for playing in such a huge facility. But use it to your advantage in recruiting. How many Division I-AA players get to perform in an NFL Stadium? Block off the upper deck. Put out a bunch of signs. Turn what many will perceive to be a negative-the lack of an on-campus stadium-into a positive.
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