ATLANTA – Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott has completed his first coaching staff, led by offensive coordinator Travis Trickett and defensive coordinator Nate Fuqua.
Trickett, formerly the offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic and Samford, will also coach quarterbacks. The offensive staff includes offensive line coach Cedric Williams, wide receivers coach Trent McKnight, and running backs/tight ends coach Josh Stepp.
Fuqua, who will coach outside linebackers, was formerly the defensive coordinator at Wofford. He is joined by defensive line coach Jess Simpson, inside linebackers coach Rusty Wright, cornerbacks coach Sam Shade and safeties coach Chris Collins.
“I set out to hire coaches who will raise the level of the program, and I’m very pleased with the staff we have put together,” Elliott said. “I love guys with a lot of energy and passion for coaching football who can relate well to the student-athletes. That’s what all these guys bring.
“We have hit the ground running,” he continued. “We are going to recruit hard, we’re going to coach hard, and together, we are going to make Georgia State football the very best it can be.”
GEORGIA STATE FOOTBALL STAFF
Shawn Elliott, Head Coach
Nate Fuqua, Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers
Travis Trickett, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Chris Collins, Safeties
Trent McKnight, Wide Receivers
Sam Shade, Cornerbacks
Jess Simpson, Defensive Line
Josh Stepp, Running Backs/Tight Ends
Cedric Williams, Offensive Line
Rusty Wright, Inside Linebackers
NATE FUQUA
Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers
Nate Fuqua, formerly the defensive coordinator at FCS quarterfinalist Wofford, has been named Georgia State’s defensive coordinator by head coach Shawn Elliott. Fuqua will also coach the outside linebackers, as he did at Wofford.
Helping Wofford to a 10-4 record in 2016, Fuqua directed a defense that ranked fifth in the nation in total defense (287.2 ypg), sixth in scoring defense (17.1 ppg) and 12th in rushing defense (101.8 ypg). The Terriers, who fell to Youngstown State in double overtime in the FCS quarterfinals, posted three shutouts during the season.
Fuqua spent the last 12 seasons at Wofford, his alma mater, including the last three years as defensive coordinator. In each of his three seasons running the defense, the Terriers led the Southern Conference in rushing defense while ranking fourth in the FCS in 2014 and 12th in 2016.
He originally joined the Wofford staff in 2005, assisting with the linebackers for two seasons before taking over as the outside linebackers coach in 2007.
Among the top players he coached was All-American and three-time all-conference outside linebacker Alvin Scioneaux. He tutored numerous other all-conference and all-freshman selections during his time at Wofford.
A nose tackle in college, Fuqua was a two-time All-American for the Terriers, including first-team recognition as a senior in 2002. He was elected to the Wofford College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.
Fuqua (pronounced FEW-quay), 36, is a native of Danville, Ky., where he was an all-state player at Danville High School. He is married to the former Tiffany Webb and the couple has a daughter, Natalie Marie, and a son, Webb Kirkland.
TRAVIS TRICKETT
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Travis Trickett, formerly the offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic and Samford, has been named Georgia State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach by new head coach Shawn Elliott.
Trickett spent the 2016 season as the Florida Atlantic offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Despite an injury-riddled offensive line and inexperienced quarterbacks in a new system, Trickett’s offensive unit set school records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns while the Owls receiving corps produced seven 100-yard efforts.
Before going to FAU, Trickett served five seasons at Samford, including the last three as offensive coordinator. He helped the Bulldogs record five straight winning seasons, highlighted by a Southern Conference championship and NCAA FCS playoff berth in 2013.
That year, Trickett’s first as offensive coordinator, he mentored record-setting quarterback Andy Summerlin, the SoCon Player of the Year who passed for a school-record 3,640 yards.
Samford’s 2014 offense averaged more than 30 points per game while posting the program’s largest margin of victory in a Southern Conference game (45-0 at Furman) and the program’s largest output in a SoCon game (63 vs. VMI).
In 2015, Trickett employed a pair of quarterbacks, and the duo led the nation in completion percentage (69.7 percent) while combining for 3,662 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Bulldogs had a season high of 752 yards vs. Florida A&M.
Trickett originally went to Samford in 2011 and coached the slot receivers and tight ends.
Trickett’s coaching experience also includes graduate assistantships with two of college football’s most storied programs at Alabama and Florida State. He spent one year (2007-08) as offensive graduate assistant on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, and then three seasons (2008-10) with the Seminoles, working under both Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher.
During these two stints, he worked with standout quarterbacks John Parker Wilson and Greg McElroy at Alabama, and Christian Ponder and E.J. Manuel at FSU.
Trickett began his coaching career as a student assistant at West Virginia from 2003-07, where he served under head coach Rich Rodriguez and had the opportunity to work with quarterback Pat White.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in administration and marketing from West Virginia in 2007 and a master’s degree sports administration from Florida State in 2009.
Trickett, 32, was born in Hattiesburg, Miss. He and his wife Tiffany have two children, Maverick and Camilla. His father, Rick, is currently the offensive line coach at Florida State.
CHRIS COLLINS
Safeties
Chris Collins joins the Georgia State staff to coach the safeties after one season at Western Carolina, where he coached the linebackers.
Collins spent the 2015 season as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Appalachian State, helping the Mountaineers to an 11-2 record and a victory in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
He previously spent two seasons (2013-14) as the secondary coach and special teams coordinator at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., while also serving as the academic coordinator for the NCAA Division II program. In his first season at Catawba, Collins coached All-America defensive back L.J. McCray, who went on to play two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers after signing as a free agent.
In 2015, Collins participated in the NFL-NCAA Coaches Academy.
Collins began his coaching career at Western Carolina, his alma mater, by serving as a student assistant in 2010 and then a defensive assistant in 2011-12.
The High Point, N.C., native was an All-Southern Conference defender for the Catamounts who finished with more than 300 career tackles. He was also a three-time selection to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll before earning his B.S. in construction management with a minor in business administration from Western Carolina in 2010.
TRENT McKNIGHT
Wide Receivers
Trent McKnight, who helped coach a highly-productive offense at Samford, joins the Georgia State staff as the wide receivers coach for head coach Shawn Elliott.
McKnight filled several roles on the offensive staff in four seasons at Samford, which he helped to four straight winning seasons, highlighted by a Southern Conference championship and NCAA FCS playoff berth in 2013.
He served as run game coordinator and tight ends coach for the 2015 season, when the Bulldogs ranked No. 7 in the nation in total offense (479.7 ypg) and No. 3 in passing offense while leading the SoCon in scoring with 34.6 points per game.
As Samford’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2014, McKnight tutored all-conference wide receiver Karel Hamilton, the SoCon’s top pass catcher that year who went on to earn first-team All-America honors in 2016 while leading the nation with 10.1 receptions per game.
Hamilton was one of four receivers and tight ends who earned all-conference or all-freshman recognition under McKnight.
For the 2012 and 2013 seasons, McKnight coached the Samford tight ends and inside receivers, helping the 2013 Bulldogs lead the SoCon in passing offense while ranking second in total offense and scoring en route to the conference title and playoff bid.
He returned to Samford, his alma mater, after one season (2011) as the wide receivers coach at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville.
McKnight served as a student assistant coach at Samford for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, working primarily on defense but also with running backs and special teams. He worked as a recruiting intern at Alabama (2007-08) before beginning his coaching career as an assistant at Oak Mountain High School in Birmingham (2008).
McKnight, who played safety for the Bulldogs in 2006 and 2007, earned his degree in business administration from Samford in 2010.
He and his wife, Ashley, have one son, Beau, born in 2016.
SAM SHADE
Cornerbacks
Sam Shade, an assistant coach at Samford the last eight years and a former National Football League defensive back, will coach the Georgia State cornerbacks under new head coach Shawn Elliott.
Shade worked with the Samford secondary for the last eight seasons, and in 2014, he was put in charge of the Bulldogs special teams and was named the defensive passing game coordinator.
In 2014, the Samford defense led the nation in passing yards allowed (139.1 per game) and ranked seventh in pass efficiency defense. The following year, the Bulldogs led the Southern Conference with 16 interceptions (No. 17 in FCS). Samford ranked first or second in the SoCon in pass efficiency defense the last four years.
During his tenure, the Samford secondary produced three NFL draftees: James Bradberry, a rookie for the Carolina Panthers who was drafted in the second round last spring; Jaquiski Tartt, a 2015 second-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers; and Corey White, a 2012 fifth-round pick by New Orleans who now plays for Buffalo.
Shade himself played eight years in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals (1995-98) and Washington Redskins (1999-02). He was the Bengals’ leading tackler in 1997 while ranking second on the team in 1998, and then he led the Redskins in 1999.
During his NFL career, his defensive coordinators included NFL Hall of Fame coach Dick LeBeau as well as Mike Nolan, Ray Rhodes and Marvin Lewis.
In April of 2000, Shade received the Redskins’ Unsung Hero Award for commitment and community service involvement.
Shade played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 1992 national championship team and was named a team captain as a senior in 1994. He was selected by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL Draft.
Following his retirement from the NFL, Shade began his coaching career as a volunteer coach at Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham, Ala., from 2004-08 before moving to Samford. He also worked as a television commentator in 2003-04.
Shade, 43, is a Birmingham native who attended Wenonah High School, where he was the recipient of the prestigious Bryant Jordan Scholar Athlete Award, given to the state’s top student-athlete.
Shade earned his degree from Alabama in business administration and finance.
He and his wife Jacquetta have four children: son Justin and Jacoby and daughters Jaila and Jamyia.
JESS SIMPSON
Defensive Line
Former Buford High School head coach Jess Simpson, one of the most successful coaches in Georgia prep football history, joins the Georgia State staff as defensive line coach for new head coach Shawn Elliott.
In 12 years as the Buford head coach, Simpson won seven state titles and compiled a record of 164-12 – a .932 winning percentage.
Under Simpson, the Wolves have appeared in 10 consecutive state finals, despite moving from Class AA to Class AAAAA over the last five years.
Simpson spent a total of 22 years on the Buford coaching staff, helping the Wolves to 10 state titles as a head or assistant coach.
After playing college football at Auburn, Simpson began his coaching career as a student assistant for the Tigers, working under Pat Dye and Terry Bowden.
He then spent one year (1994) coaching at his alma mater, Marietta High School, under Dexter Wood before moving with Wood to Buford in 1995. Simpson served as defensive coordinator and strength coach on Wood’s staff from 1995-2004 and then took over as head coach in 2005.
During his time as an assistant, Buford won three straight state championships from 2001-03 and set the Georgia high school record with a 47-game winning streak from 2001-04.
Simpson earned his bachelor’s degree from Auburn in 1993 and added a master’s in education from North Georgia College in 2002.
Simpson and his wife Tricia have four children: Luke, Cooper, Jake and Emma.
JOSH STEPP
Running Backs/Tight Ends
Josh Stepp, formerly the head football coach and athletic director at Lexington (S.C.) High School, has joined Shawn Elliott’s Georgia State staff as running backs and tight ends coach.
In four seasons at Lexington, Stepp posted a 36-17 record from 2013-16, despite inheriting a program that had gone 3-8 the year before he arrived. The Wildcats posted winning records and reached at least the second round of the playoffs in each of his four seasons.
The highlight of his tenure came in 2015, when he led his squad to a 13-game winning streak and a berth in the state championship game. Along the way, Lexington knocked off top-seeded and nationally-ranked Spartanburg to advance to the Class 4A, Division II state finals for the first time in 15 years. Stepp was honored as 4A Lower State Coach of the Year and Region V Coach of the Year.
He began his coaching career as an assistant at Pelion (S.C.) High School, his alma mater, in 2007 and continued with assistant coaching assignments at Blythewood High School (2008) and Spring Valley High School, where he served as offensive coordinator in 2009.
Stepp earned his first head coaching position at Dreher High School, where he coached three seasons (2010-12) before taking over as head coach and athletic director at Lexington. He led Dreher to an 8-2 mark in 2012 for the school’s best season in more than a decade.
A three-sport standout at Pelion, including all-state honors in football and baseball, Stepp began his career at Furman. He transferred to Newberry (S.C.) College and enjoyed a enjoyed a record-setting three-year career at quarterback (2004-06), including All-America and National Player of the Week honors. He finished his career as Newberry’s all-time leader in passing yards, touchdowns and completions, and he was recently inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Pelion High School Hall of Fame.
He graduated cum laude from Newberry in 2007 with a B.S. degree in physical education and then added a master’s in education from the University of Phoenix.
Stepp and his wife Caryn have two daughters, Rilee Hope (9) and Emma Paisley (3). He has a twin brother, Justin, who is the receivers coach at SMU.
CEDRIC WILLIAMS
Offensive Line
Cedric Williams, a former staff member at South Carolina, has joined head coach Shawn Elliott’s Georgia State staff as the offensive line coach.
Williams spent the 2016 season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at South Carolina following five seasons as the offensive line coach at Newberry (S.C.) College, which he helped lead to NCAA Division II playoff berths in 2013 and 2015.
Williams had five different Newberry players earn all-conference recognition during his tenure. In 2011, the Wolves ranked second nationally in Division II for fewest sacks allowed, giving up only five sacks in 10 games.
In addition to coaching the Newberry offensive line, Williams was elevated to assistant head coach in 2013.
Williams went to Newberry after one season (2010) as the offensive line coach at Mississippi Valley State. After allowing 58 sacks in the year prior to Williams’ arrival, the Delta Devils improved to 24 sacks in the 2010 season, one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I-FCS history.
In 2009, Williams served as the offensive line coach at Tennessee State, and his unit led the Ohio Valley Conference in fewest sacks allowed.
Williams has also interned with three National Football League teams as part of the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program. He participated in the program with the Panthers (2012), Steelers (2013) and Vikings (2015).
Williams began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Gamecocks from 2006-08. He served as the interim offensive line coach for the 2008 Outback Bowl.
A four-year starter on the offensive line at South Carolina (1999-02), Williams was a first-team All-SEC performer in 2000 and helped his team to Outback Bowl victories following the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
The Charleston, S.C., native earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina in sport and entertainment management. He is married to the former Richelle Grant, and the couple has one daughter, Nina.
RUSTY WRIGHT
Inside Linebackers
Rusty Wright, formerly the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Chattanooga, will coach the Georgia State inside linebackers on head coach Shawn Elliott’s first staff.
Wright spent the last four years (2013-16) at Chattanooga in his second stint at his alma mater. In addition to coaching the linebackers all four years, he took on the role of special teams coordinator in 2015.
He helped coach the Mocs to three straight appearances in the FCS playoffs, including a quarterfinals berth in 2014, four consecutive seasons of eight or more wins and one Southern Conference title and two SoCon co-championships.
In 2016, Wright coached All-America linebacker Nakevion Leslie. During his tenure at UTC, five of his linebackers earned first-team all-conference honors, including two selections in 2016. Punt returner Tommy Hudson, tutored by Wright in 2014, earned All-America recognition.
Before returning to UTC, Wright worked two years helping build a new program at NAIA-member Reinhardt University in Waleska, Ga., where he was the defensive coordinator.
Wright served four years (2005-08) as an assistant at Miami (Ohio), where he was the special teams coach and defensive assistant for two years before becoming the defensive line coach his final two years there. In 2007, the Miami defense led the Mid-American Conference in rushing defense, total defense, scoring defense and quarterback sacks. The Red Hawks won MAC East titles in 2005 and 2007.
In 2004, Wright served as the defensive coordinator at Butler. He also spent one season coaching defensive line at Gardner-Webb (2009), and one year as the linebackers coach at Furman (2010).
Wright was a four-year letterman at Chattanooga from 1992-95. He caught more than 50 passes as a tight end in his career, playing on offensive units that included future NFL players Terrell Owens, Jerry Ellison and Marrio Grier.
He began his coaching career on the Mocs staff, serving seven seasons (1996-02) in various roles, coaching the linebackers, tackles, tight ends, special teams and the junior varsity squad.
The native of Petticoat Junction, S.C., earned his degree in sports administration from Chattanooga in 1996. Wright is married to the former Kelley Black, who was a volleyball letterwinner at UTC, and the couple has one daughter, Madison, a basketball player at Belmont.
