Shawn Elliott seems confident that he can be the coach who can help Georgia State’s football program finally start to fulfill its potential.
In seven seasons and two previous coaches, the Panthers have posted one winning record, with that coming in its first season against hand-picked opponents.
Since 2010, the program is 14-57 with one bowl appearance.
Georgia State Athletic Director Charlie Cobb turned to Elliott, formerly a player and later an assistant coach at Appalachian State, who recently was an assistant at South Carolina, to try to turn around the program. Elliott was introduced Dec. 9.
But Elliott may have a few advantages that previous coaches Bill Curry and Trent Miles didn’t. First, the Panthers are moving from the Georgia Dome to Turner Field. As Elliott said, the team will finally have what feels like a home.
Second, Elliott has focused on hiring assistant coaches who have extensively recruited Georgia high schools. They may have deeper relationships than assistants on previous staffs had. Taking advantage of those relationships to sign recruits is key.
Elliott took a few minutes this week to discuss why he thinks Georgia State is a “gold mine,” how Turner Field will help, and his most important personal and professional influences.
Questions and answers have been paraphrased or edited in some cases for clarity and/or brevity.
Q: Athletic Director Charlie Cobb said he wanted to hire someone who believed that Georgia State could be a consistent winner in football. Why do you think that?
A: First, for the very reason where it's located in the great state of Georgia, in Atlanta, in the heart of the best high school football coaches and recruits in the country.
And the school in general. The education and athletics — combine those two, and it’s an unbelievable opportunity.
Q: Those elements haven’t changed since Bill Curry was hired as the first coach. What are the biggest reasons that success will happen now?
A: Probably the staff. Not sure about the old staff. Relationships you have with coaches in the Southeast will be instrumental in changing the culture here at Georgia State. We've established a well-rounded staff that have been recruiting Georgia, Atlanta and the Southeast very well.
Once you have those and have more connections you will see interest and commitment from high school coaches, the respect and trust to send commitments to Georgia State.
With student population and administration, we have to spread the message.
Q: What did you learn from coach (Steve) Spurrier that you will apply here?
A: You've got to be yourself. Once you become a head coach you don't change and change your core values, philosophies, actions and how you respond. Be true to who you are.
Q: What did you learn as an interim head coach at South Carolina that you will apply here?
A: When you are an interim head football coach in the SEC you wear a lot of hats. Learning how to manage the personnel you have around from day-to-day operation to budgets to winning and game-planning. The hats you wear you will find out there are many more hats than available. You are a trainer, equipment, manager, nutritionist.
You have to hire people you can trust and trust them to make them the right decision.
You were put in place to do a job and you are expected to do it. You have to trust in the hires you make.
That’s what I learned from there. It was their situation, their circumstances that they needed to take care. Let me focus a little bit more on the ball.
Q: A lot of people assumed that you were the front-runner for the job because of your relationship with Cobb. Was that fair?
A: I don't think so. I don't know if I was the front-runner, but I was the winner. I've been a proven winner my entire coaching and playing career.
We had a prior relationship where we were successful. I can see (concern) if he was going out and hiring a bum off the street, but I don’t think that was the case.
Q: What kind of offensive system will you run?
A: We will be a tempo-oriented spread offense. People use that term loosely. More of a one-back personnel. There will be a lot of variations in our offense. We will be narrowing that down with who we have hired and the personnel we have in place.
Q: What kind of defensive system will you run?
A: Same thing. We will be a multiple even- and odd-front team to be able to do both at any given time and will play with effort and intensity.
As we get further along in spring practice and knock out some of these different scenarios we will know more about who we are by this summer and of course going into fall practice.
Q: Your staff is composed of mostly FCS coaches and two very successful high school coaches. Talk about those choices and why you think they will help you?
A: (Because the human resources process wasn't complete as of Wednesday, Elliott couldn't talk about the coaches specifically. He did discuss coaching backgrounds.)
I came from an FCS background. I played and coached there. I hired the best coaches that I think will raise the level of the program. It has nothing to do with FBS, FCS or high school level.
There are tremendous coaches at all levels.
Q: Who are your biggest non-football influences?
A: Certainly, my mother (Barbara) and my father (Charles). They instilled everything about hard work, effort and core values. Just knowing the things they installed in terms of working hard, always doing more than they expected.
Q: Who are your biggest football influences?
A: Starts back at an early age in high school with head coach Billy Ammons and defensive coordinator there named Jeff Jordan. And then since-retired Jerry Moore at Appalachian State and then leading into it with Steve Spurrier.
Another coach Stacy Searels had a huge influence. If not for Searels, I wouldn’t have been an offensive line coach.
Q: Have you watched film of the team? What did you see?
A: I have. You've got to look at it from an athletic perspective. I wasn't paying attention to the schemes. I think we have talented student-athletes here at Georgia State. We have to find a cohesive group that can play with trust and effort. There are solid players here. In their wins, you can see a team that you can go out and compete with every Saturday.
Q: What are the biggest needs in recruiting?
A: Everything. The normal answer for everything.
It starts up front with the offensive and defensive lines. We have to be prepared for the skill position players who can make dynamic plays.
First and foremost thing is great effort and great intensity and guys who you can put on the field and play with trust and intelligence.
Q: The Sun Belt just wrapped up a successful bowl season and may be the toughest of the Group of 5 conferences. How familiar are you with the conference?
A: Being from Appalachian State for a number of years, it has risen to the top of FCS. It continued to do that when it was brought from the Southern Conference into the Sun Belt.
Then there’s Georgia Southern, Troy, I’ve coached and played against. It’s a very good league from top to bottom. We will have to be prepared week in and week out.
The head coach at Appalachian (Scott Satterfield) and I were roommates and team captains together. I’m excited about opportunity to go in there.
Q: Did you reach out to him to discuss the Georgia State job, what he knew and thought?
A: We talked, but I didn't specifically call and ask him any questions about Georgia State or what he thought about it.
Q: I’m always curious to know how much and what types of research coaches will put into jobs. Some put in a lot and others don’t. It seems like you put in a lot of research.
A: You research with high school coaches. I talked with a lot of high school coaches in Georgia about their perception and where it could go.
Q: What did they say?
A: They thought it was a gold mine. They thought it was a home-run hit once you get the right man in place and the right coaching staff.
With our new stadium that we are moving into, it’s a perfect storm. Hopefully this thing will be a home run hit. We will certainly find out.
Q: Will there be any additions to the football operations staff?
A: There will be opportunities to add position. We are in discussions. Not finalized yet.
Q: Can you share the numbers or in what areas?
A: Not right now as this point. Everybody had four to five quality-control guys. They are just kind of coaches. We need a high school relations director who can reach out on a daily basis and have a great influence on the high school coaches in Georgia and throughout the Southeast.
Q: How big of a tool will Turner Field be for recruiting?
A: When you look at the new stadium it's truly an amazing place. It's a major league baseball organization that will be transformed into a football stadium.
The Georgia Dome, it’s not a place you call home; it’s just a place you went and played football games.
This will be our home. It’s where we will eat, sleep, work and win.
We are going from one of the bottom in the league to right to the top of the conference. There’s a tremendous amount of space. We have so many opportunities to make it our own and what we want as far as locker rooms, facilities, training, nutrition. Everything can be right there. It will be tremendous asset as far as recruiting.
The name and brand will just take off. Think about how many people drive by that place every day. Hopefully that marquee will go up soon.
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