Signing Day Central, 2021-22

#NSD22 - Meet the New Panthers

12/15/2021 8:05:00 AM

ATLANTA -- "What a great day it is! We've got bowl practice, we've got graduation, we've got Christmas, and we've got Signing Day," Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott said as the Panthers announced their first 15 signees for the Class of 2022 on Wednesday's National Signing Day.

"We're thrilled to welcome our new class," Elliott continued. "We have a great group of young men coming in to continue their education and play football for the Georgia State Panthers. We met some needs to help all areas of our football team as we progress and grow. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to work with these young men."

The Panthers, who are preparing for their trip to the TaxAct Camellia Bowl on Dec. 25, opened the signing period by inking 10 high school prospects, three junior college signees and two four-year transfers.

The Georgia State class features seven offensive players and eight additions on defense. Seven signees hail from Georgia, with South Carolina (4), Florida (2), Mississippi and Louisiana also represented.

In addition to the 10 highly-regarded high school prospects, the Panthers have added experience with five transfers.

Joining the program are quarterback Keilon Brown, a transfer from Memphis who was rated among the top 20 dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation coming out of Zachary (La.) High School, and offensive lineman Bryson Broadway, a Georgia native from Dawson County High School who returns to his home state after two years at Eastern Illinois.

The Panthers also added junior college transfers to the secondary in safety Chris Smith, another Georgia product from Dacula High School and Garden City (Kan.) C.C., and cornerback Jeremiah Johnson from Anguilla, Miss., and Mississippi Delta C.C., as well as tight end Rykem Laney from Spartanburg, S.C., and Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C.

On offense, GSU has added three linemen, two tight ends, one running back and one quarterback.

The running back that the Panthers signed is KZ Adams from West Columbia, S.C. Adams, who stands 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds, LED THE NATION in rushing with 3,343 yards while leading Gray Collegiate Academy to the state title.

"He has shiftiness, he has speed, and he is hard to tackle," Elliott said. "He's a tremendous player, and we're thrilled to death to have him come play for us. He is going to be an electric back."

The area of emphasis on defense was the secondary, where the Panthers added three cornerbacks (Izaiah Guy, JayT Jackson, Jeremiah Johnson) and two safeties (Isaiah Holland, Chris Smith), along with D-Icey Hopkins, who could play safety or corner, and Peter Simmons II, who could line up at outside linebacker or safety.

"We wanted to add some help in the secondary, and we addressed those needs with some youth and some older guys who give us a little more experience in the back end. We signed some very quality players."

THE CLASS OF 2022:
 
Name Pos. Ht., Wt. Hometown High School/Previous
KZ Adams RB 5-6, 160 West Columbia, S.C. Gray Collegiate Academy
Bryson Broadway OL 6-5, 280 Dawsonville, Ga. Dawsonville County/Eastern Illinois
Keilon Brown QB 6-0, 190 Zachary, La. Zachary/Memphis
Izaiah Guy CB 6-2, 185 Ocala, Fla. Vanguard
Michai Hill DE 6-3, 230 Grantville, Ga. Newnan
Isaiah Holland S 6-3, 180 Valdosta, Ga. Valdosta
D-Icey Hopkins DB 5-11, 170 Macon, Ga. Northeast
JayT Jackson CB 6-2, 165 Columbus, Ga. Spencer
Alec Johnson OL 6-1, 270 Blythewood, S.C. Gray Collegiate Academy
Jeremiah Johnson CB 5-11, 185 Anguilla, Miss. South Delta/Mississippi Delta CC
Chauncey Kamakea OL 6-3, 285 Tallahassee, Fla. Godby
Rykem Laney TE 6-5, 220 Spartanburg, S.C. Spartanburg/Hutchinson (Kan.) CC
Avion McBride TE 6-5, 215 Florence, S.C. West Florence
Peter Simmons II FS/OLB 6-0, 180 McDonough, Ga. Eagle's Landing Christian Academy
Chris Smith S 6-2, 200 Dacula, Ga. Dacula/Garden City (Kan.) CC
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