Football 3/10/2021 1:11:00 PM

"Competition Level Is Higher Than It's Ever Been"

QB Quad Brown is excited about all the weapons on offense

Georgia State returns its entire offense from last year's record-setting unit, and no one is more excited about all those weapons than quarterback Cornelious "Quad" Brown IV.

"Guys are flying around. I feel like the energy and the competition level is higher than it's ever been," Brown said. "We have 20 of 22 starters back, all 11 on offense. I'm blessed to have a plethora of talent around me. The competition is ultimately what's going to make us great."

Quad and the Panthers started spring practice this week and will continue through the April 16 Spring Game at Center Parc Stadium.

The rising junior from Birmingham, Ala., took over as the starting quarterback last fall, and in 10 games, he passed for 2,278 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 301 yards and seven scores. He capped his season by earning MVP honors in the LendingTree Bowl, where he led the Panthers to a 39-21 victory over Western Kentucky.

Brown directed the GSU offense to a school-record 33.3 points per game. The Panthers' balanced attack averaged 230 yards passing and 194 yards rushing, and every starter and backup returns.

With so many returnees, competition is intense everywhere, and head coach Shawn Elliott mentioned one area in particular.

"One competition I'm really anticipating is watching the wide receivers and defensive backs go up against one another," Elliott said. "We have a great room of wide receivers with great depth, a lot of guys who need to play and want to play. I'm really anxious to see those guys develop."

Brown agrees with his coach about that competition between receivers and defenders.

"We have all-conference on both sides of the ball at wide receiver and DB," Brown said. "We got receivers like Sam Pinckney and Cornelius McCoy, and we've got some younger guys who are starting to fill in, like Jamari Thrash, Cadarrius Thompson, the transfer from Central Florida, Ja'Cyais [Credle]. We've got really competitive, edgy DBs who have been here for a while like Qua White, like J [Jaylon] Jones. And we've got younger guys who are ready to make that next step and really compete at a high level. That's what going to make us great.

"If I ask Sam Pinckney if I throw him 10 balls, how many is he going to catch, he is going to say 10. If I ask Qua, If I throw Sam 10 ball, how many are you going to deflect or break up, he's going to say 10.

"That competition and that edge and that chip those guys have is what makes us special, and it makes the games easy."

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#83 Cornelius McCoy: WR; 5' 11"; Junior

#15 Sam Pinckney: WR; 6' 4"; Redshirt Sophomore

#11 Cadarrius Thompson: WR; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#2 Jamari Thrash: WR; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

Players Mentioned

#83 Cornelius McCoy
: 5' 11"; Junior
: WR

#15 Sam Pinckney
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Sophomore
: WR

#11 Cadarrius Thompson
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: WR

#2 Jamari Thrash
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: WR