The Georgia State football team has gotten a lot of important work done this spring. There has been depth to build. There have been newcomers to work into the rotation. But there’s also been an emphasis on fun, an aspect that will be apparent on Friday at the Blue-White Spring Game.
To begin, the coaching staff left it up to the players to pick the teams. By channeling their inner Mel Kiper, two squads were selected.
“We drafted teams and split them up, coaches and players,” Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott said. “It’s going to be fun and we’ll enjoy it.”
The game will start at 6:30 p.m. at Center Parc Stadium. Admission and parking is free. To add to the fun, an alumni flag football game will be held at 5:15 p.m. and the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” will be shown on the big screen after the football game.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the crowd,” Elliott said. “I want to see the families. I want to see people come out and enjoy a great evening. We’re all searching for that normalcy. They’ll see a great, competitive game. It’ll be a lot of fun. I’m excited about it.”
When it came time to choose the teams, Elliott acted as the “commissioner” for the game. The Blue team is captained by tight end Roger Carter and defensive end Hardrick Willis, with offensive coordinator Brad Glenn acting as head coach. The White team is captained by nose guard Dontae Wilson and offensive guard Shamarious Gilmore, with defensive coordinator Nate Fuqua the head coach.
“A lot of time we haven’t had the depth to do this, but I feel like we do have that depth,” Elliott said. “Sometimes things made get a little muddled, but the competitive nature of having the offense and defense on both teams brings out a new level of get-after-it.”
The players did all the picking and came up with two squads that will require some mixing and matching. Fans won’t see the No. 1 offensive line play together as a unit, but rather the first-string guard playing aside the third-string tackle.
“We may even have some people playing out of position,” Elliott said.
The only concession was returning quarterback Quad Brown. A sophomore who threw for 2,278 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2020, Brown will take snaps for both teams.
The Blue team will feature quarterback Mikele Colasurdo, who will get a chance to throw to Sam Pinckney, the top returning receiver. The Blue team may have a special-teams edge with all-Sun Belt kicker Noel Ruiz on the roster.
The White team will have Furman transfer Darren Grainger as its quarterback, along with Destin Coates, who led the team with 769 rushing yards in 2020. The White side also has three defensive standouts in inside linebacker Blake Carroll, cornerback Quavian White and safety Antavious Lane.
“We’re going to be smart about it and control the environment,” Elliott said. “Not a lot of formations, not a lot of pressure packages. Just go out and play good solid, fundament football.”
And probably put up lots of points.
Georgia State likely will use a lot of running backs, one of their deepest position groups. In addition to Coates, the Panthers have been pleased with the progress of senior Jamyest Williams and junior Dawson Hill.
With top tight ends Carter and Aubry Payne limited or unavailable, Elliott expects redshirt freshmen Ahmon Green and Kris Byrd to have opportunities to step forward.
“We’ve really had a good spring in all positions,” Elliott said. “It’s been good, it’s been competitive and we’ve enjoyed the heck out of being out there.”
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