Football 3/9/2021 3:28:00 PM

Talent, Experience and Leadership on Display as Spring Ball Opens

Panthers Return 22 of 24 Starters

With 22 of 24 starters returning, the Georgia State football team begins spring practice with plenty of experience and talent, but the squad also features more leadership, says head coach Shawn Elliott.

The 2021 Panthers held the first of the 15 sessions of spring practice Tuesday morning at Center Parc Stadium.

"They've been in there lifting and conditioning all winter, and now we get to go out there and actually play the game, and that's what it's about," Elliott said. "It's about getting out there and playing the game and becoming better as players and coaches, and striving to build something for next season.

"Today there was clearly a championship mindset from us all. They really attacked it, and I was very pleased."

This spring features the unique dynamic of players who are returning for an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the pandemic. Georgia State has nine of these "super seniors," including four All-Sun Belt Conference players.

First-team All-Sun Belt offensive guard Shamarious Gilmore, the only four-time all-conference player in program history, will return for his sixth year and fifth year of competition with the Panthers. With all five starters returning, the GSU offensive line will enter 2021 with 136 career starts.

Placekicker Noel Ruiz, also a 2020 first-team All-Sun Belt selection, returns, along with second-team All-Sun Belt tight end Roger Carter and third-team defensive lineman Dontae Wilson.

All told, GSU returns 11 starters from an offensive unit that averaged a school-record 33.3 points per game, eight starters return from a GSU defense that ranked No. 7 in FBS with a program-record 35 sacks, and the placekicker and punter.

"There was more leadership out there today than I think I've ever seen," Elliott said. "There was more competition. The practice flowed about as smoothly as it could."

"We have a lot of good leadership," Elliott continued. "It's going to be interesting to see because so many people stand behind those seniors and wait their turn to be that leadership group. We're going to have a sixth-year group that are great leaders, and we're going to have a group of quote-unquote real seniors who are coming up next fall and stepping into that role.

"It's going to be interesting to see how these young leaders step up and develop with all these older guys who are still here."

Regardless of how many players or how much experience,

"Improvement in all areas is still something that we stress and something have to go out there and obtain each and every day," Elliott said.

Spring practice continues with workouts Wednesday and Thursday. The Panthers will pause next week for spring break and then resume on Monday, March 22.

Georgia State's Spring Game is scheduled for Friday, April 16 at Center Parc Stadium (time TBA).

Season tickets for the 2021 season, in which the Panthers will face the most challenging schedule in program history, are on sale now. Visit GeorgiaStateSports.com/tix to purchase or renew.

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Players Mentioned

#45 Roger Carter: TE; 6' 2"; Senior

#75 Shamarious Gilmore: G; 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior

#52 Dontae Wilson: NG; 6' 0"; Senior

#92 Noel Ruiz: PK; 5' 11"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#45 Roger Carter
: 6' 2"; Senior
: TE

#75 Shamarious Gilmore
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#52 Dontae Wilson
: 6' 0"; Senior
: NG

#92 Noel Ruiz
: 5' 11"; Senior
: PK