Georgia State began to fill the holes in its roster Wednesday by signing seven high school players and four transfers. But the Panthers, who lost at least a dozen in the transfer portal, are far from finished.
“It’s just a process that you have to go through in this day and age,” Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott said. “You don’t have to spend all your money at one time. Let’s make sure we get the right guys in here. That’s very important to us.”
GSU likely will focus the rest of its efforts on incoming transfers, but Elliott isn’t keen on signing a player after one visit or one phone call. He places an emphasis on building relationships with anyone he targets.
“I’ve got to have great patience in this,” Elliott said. “Guys are being signed that have one phone call and maybe one visit to a school. It’s hard for me to bring in guys like that that haven’t had a relationship with you. You really don’t know what you’re getting into in that sense, and it’s just hard to do.”
That wasn’t an issue with the four transfers that Georgia State signed Wednesday.
There were two running backs among the transfers – C.J. Beasley and Dominique Thomas. Both should be among the contenders to get plenty of carries in 2024.
“We just upgraded our running back (group),” Elliott said. “Those are two really solid backs, and they’re going to be a big, big addition for us.”
Beasley (5-9, 212) spent four seasons at Coastal Carolina, where he rushed for 1,072 yards and eight touchdowns with 34 receptions for 344 yards and one touchdown. He was honorable mention All-Sun Belt Conference in 2022 when he led the team with 717 rushing yards.
“C.J. is a big powerful back similar to Marcus (Carroll, who transferred to Missouri this month),” Elliott said. “He can move people by himself. He’s just a strong physical runner.”
Thomas (5-9, 202) is a native of Ohatchee, Alabama, who spent two seasons as a backup at Clemson, where he began his career a walk-on but earned a scholarship before the 2022 season. He played 12 games in 2023 and rushed 18 times for 116 yards and one touchdown.
“He has the twitch and the vision of a great running back,” Elliott said. “He’s one of the best leaders they have on that Clemson football team, and he’s one of the pound-for-pound strongest players they have. He’s just a special running back.”
Defensive end Victoine Brown (6-4, 250) is a Grayson High School graduate who has two seasons of eligibility after transferring from Louisville.
“When he was coming out of high school, everybody in the country was after him,” Elliott said. “Coming back home, that’s exciting for us to bring these guys back that went off to school and for whatever reason it didn’t pan out or didn’t work out.”
One of Elliott’s best friends is on the Louisville staff and told him, “If you can land Vic, it’s going to be a true steal for you.”
Offensive tackle Kyrik Mason (6-3, 290) is a transfer from Monmouth who played 10 games in 2023. He will have two remaining seasons of eligibility.
The freshman group includes a pair of offensive linemen – center Jules Ney (6-3, 285) a native of Germany who played at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, and Dominic Johnson (6-1, 260) from Ocala, Florida, who can play any line position – and two cornerbacks – Deuce Walker (5-10, 185) from Salisbury, North Carolina, and Austin McGee (5-9, 155) from Athens Academy. Walker was signed as a defensive back, but caught 53 passes for 714 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior and could spend time on offense, too.
Other offensive players who signed were Lane Wadle (6-5, 242), a tight end from Greenfield, Indiana, wide receiver Recardo Tarver (6-1, 185) from Houston County High School, and Damaine Wilson (6-1, 226), a linebacker from Pompano Beach, Florida.
About the Author
