If that national insurance company ever decides to replace the actor who plays “Mr. Mayhem” on its TV commercials, it should make sure Georgia State’s Javon Denis is on its speed dial. He’s made a career out of causing confusion on the football field.
A 6-foot, 272-pound senior defensive end, Denis always seems to be around to make a tackle for loss or to grab a loose ball. That skill has helped the defensive end become a takeaway machine for the Panthers.
“Javon is a silent villain,” Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott said. “He’s a guy that’s very quiet. He’s not a boisterous-type guy, but he plays hard. He’s got good fundamentals, he’s strong and he’s a leader for us on the defensive line.”
The numbers back that up. Denis has 18.5 career tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He has two fumble recoveries for touchdowns over the past two seasons, one of only three players in the program’s history with two defensive scores. He is third all-time with four career fumble recoveries.
“I think he puts himself in the right place at the right time,” Elliott said. “Sometimes that startles the offense when you show up and you’re not expected, but that’s what gets the ball turned over. He has a good knack of find that little crease and getting through that line and making those tough plays.”
Denis did a lot of startling in 2022. He had 47 tackles with five hurries, nine tackles for loss, four sacks and two fumble recoveries. Ask Southern Miss about his disruption ability? He had seven tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss in Hattiesburg. Or ask James Madison, where he recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
It’s just part of a trend that began during his days at powerful Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High School, where he helped the team reach the state semifinals.
“Going back to high school, I feel like I always had that knack, but it’s about watching film and knowing where to be and how to do it,” Denis said.
Denis was a high school teammate of former Panthers Cornelius McCoy and Despelado Alexandre. It didn’t take long for him to show up on the recruiting radar and join his buddies in Atlanta. Denis graduated from high school early and was a January enrollee at Georgia State, a decision that helped accelerate his development. He was redshirted as a freshman, but learned an essential skill during his early days on campus.
“Running to the ball,” he said. “That’s one thing that makes the game 10 times easier. Doing your technique the right way and getting where you need to be. I had to raise my game up from high school to college because things move way faster.”
Denis began to earn playing time and was a part-time starter by his second season, where his chaos creation really began to surface. Among the highlights was the a 37-yard scoop-and-score in the 2021 Camellia Bowl.
Denis has excelled in the classroom, too. He already has completed his degree in interdisciplinary studies, with a minor in human growth and development. Denis is the first member of his family to graduate from college and the entire family – seven siblings on his mother’s side and six siblings on his father’s side – were in attendance for graduation.
“Just to see the joy on their face, that’s what I do it for is to show them that there’s bigger things outside of where we live and you need to push yourself hard and you’re going to get what you deserve,” he said. “It was chance to show my siblings the path they need to take.”
Now entering his final season, Denis is fully invested in the toughen-up plan designed to help Georgia State bounce back from last season’s 4-8 record. He has pushed himself to get stronger in the offseason and believes the effort will be worth it.
“I feel like we’re a much stronger team now,” he said. “I think our mentality is way stronger, and we’re definitely physically stronger. … We’re doing our job, staying mentally sound and running to the ball and playing with attitude. That’s all we’ve got to do and we’ll be a great defense.”
Denis was an honorable-mention All-Sun Belt Conference selection in 2022 and was picked for the preseason all-conference team by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele.
“He’s had a really good preseason camp,” Elliott said. “He’s going to be fresh and ready to go on opening night, and I expect a really big year of him. I think his tackles for loss and his caused fumbles are going to be right up there.”
Georgia State opens the season at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 at Centre Parc Stadium against Rhode Island.
Credit: Ben Ennis
Credit: Ben Ennis
