Football 12/21/2022 9:30:00 AM

Signing Day Central

ATLANTA -- The Georgia State football program welcomed 16 new student-athletes on Wednesday's National Signing Day, including eight high school prospects, seven transfers from four-year schools and one junior college signee.

Head coach Shawn Elliott and his staff emphasized the lines of scrimmage and the secondary in particular. The Panthers have added three offensive linemen, including two experienced transfers, three defensive linemen including two transfers, and three cornerbacks, one of them a transfer.

The class also features two linebackers, two quarterbacks, two receivers and one tight end.

"We met a lot of our needs with this group," Elliott said. "I think the two offensive line transfers will come in and compete right away and give us some great size and strength up front. That is definitely something we were looking for."

The Panthers added 6-4, 305-pound Tyden Ferris, a two-year starting guard at Central Michigan, and 6-3, 302-pound Lamar Robinson, a starting tackle at Norfolk State.

Another experienced addition on offense is prolific receiver Jacari Carter, who caught 125 passes for 1,227 yards and 13 touchdowns in 25 games at FCS Merrimack.

The GSU defense should benefit from five transfers adding experience at every level, led by Clemson transfer Kevin Swint, a former prep standout at Carrollton High School, at outside linebacker.

"In any recruiting conversation, I think you know right from the jump if the individual is a fit for your program," Elliott said. "In speaking with Kevin, he is just so mature. He had everything in line as far as what he wanted to accomplish by transferring, why he was transferring and what he wanted from a school and a staff moving forward. And then you look at his athleticism - he is going to be a very nice addition."

The defense also welcomes Henry Bryant from Louisville and Ricardo Williams Jr. from Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. on the line, Tavian Brown from Colorado State at inside linebacker and Bucknell transfer Gavin Pringle at cornerback.

"I will never, ever in my life guarantee a starting position or playing time or anything like that, but there is a need for them at those positions," Elliott said. "That's why they were signed. They understand what we need and they understand what they need to give us."

The crop of high school signees features quarterbacks Bryson Harrison from Lassiter High School and Braylen Ragland from Bartlett High School in Memphis. Another top local signee is wide receiver Quentin Thomas from Eagles Landing High School. The Panthers also added offensive lineman Shawn Burton Jr. (Morrisville, N.C.), tight end Dorian Fleming (Henrico, Va.), cornerbacks Jaylen Jones (Charlotte, N.C.) and Marlon McClendon (Lakeland, Fla.) and defensive lineman Jude Tinor (Melbourne, Fla.) from the high school ranks.

When asked about the effect of the transfer portal on recruiting, Elliott laughed and said, "Have you ever been inside a tornado? Well, I haven't, but I think everybody just got inside one big one.

"The needs of your football program are changing every day because of the guys who are entering the portal from your school and of course the portal guys from other schools. Everything single day something is new and there's a new plan in place.

"You can't let your guard down," he continued. "It's speed-dating at it's finest. It's a hard process that everybody's trying to maneuver through, and we're trying to do it as best as we can."

The Class of 2023:

Name	Pos	Ht., Wt.	Hometown	High School/Previous School
Shawn Burton Jr.	OL	6-3, 245	Morrisville, N.C.	Cary
Jude Tinor	DL	6-0, 260	Melbourne, Fla.	Eau Gallie
Jacari Carter	WR	5-9, 168	Sayreville, N.J.	Sayreville East CoastPrep/Merrimack
Henry Bryant III	DL	6-0, 285	Delray Beach, Fla.	Atlantic/Louisville
Tavian Brown	ILB	6-2, 225	Demopolis, Ala.	Demopolis/Colorado State
Ricardo Williams Jr.	DL	6-2, 290	Jackson, Miss.	Provine/Mississippi Gulf Coast
Bryson Harrison	QB	6-1, 200	Roswell, Ga.	Lassiter
Dorian Fleming	TE	6-3, 230	Henrico, Va.	Life Christian Academy
Braylen Ragland	QB	6-0, 180	Memphis, Tenn.	Bartlett
Quentin Thomas	WR	6-1, 185	Stockbridge, Ga.	Eagles Landing
Lamar Robinson	OL	6-3, 302	Alexandria, Va.	Hayfield/Norfolk State
Tyden Ferris	OL	6-4, 305	Delton, Mich.	Delton-Kellogg/Central Michigan
Jaylen Jones	CB	6-1, 185	Charlotte, N.C.	Butler
Kevin Swint	OLB	6-3, 240	Carrollton, Ga.	Carrollton/Clemson
Gavin Pringle	CB	5-11, 170	Baltimore, Md.	Mount Saint Joseph/Bucknell
Marlon McClendon	CB	5-10, 165	Lakeland, Fla.	Victory Christian

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Players Mentioned

Shawn Burton Jr.: OL; 6' 3"; Freshman

Henry Bryant: DL; 6' 0"; Junior

Tavian Brown: ILB; 6' 2"; Junior

Jacari Carter: WR; 5' 9"; Junior

Tyden Ferris: OL; 6' 4"; Junior

Bryson Harrison: QB; 6' 1"; Freshman

Kevin Swint: OLB; 6' 3"; Junior

Ricardo Williams Jr.: DL; 6' 2"; Junior

Quentin Thomas: WR; 6' 1"; Freshman

Dorian Fleming: TE; 6' 3"; Freshman

Braylen Ragland: QB; 6' 0"; Freshman

Gavin Pringle: CB; 5' 11"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Shawn Burton Jr.
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: OL

Henry Bryant
: 6' 0"; Junior
: DL

Tavian Brown
: 6' 2"; Junior
: ILB

Jacari Carter
: 5' 9"; Junior
: WR

Tyden Ferris
: 6' 4"; Junior
: OL

Bryson Harrison
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: QB

Kevin Swint
: 6' 3"; Junior
: OLB

Ricardo Williams Jr.
: 6' 2"; Junior
: DL

Quentin Thomas
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: WR

Dorian Fleming
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: TE

Braylen Ragland
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: QB

Gavin Pringle
: 5' 11"; Senior
: CB