Head Coach: Dell McGee is entering his 2nd season as the Panthers head coach with a 3-9 record. It wasn’t an easy first year as he took over the program later in the offseason after a surprising coaching change. Despite the record there were already positive moments including the wins over Vanderbilt and Texas State. This year, they look to have more games like those 2.
Program Outlook: Georgia State is still relatively new to the FBS scene, they are different than a lot of the newer FBS programs in this conference the Panthers didn’t have a massive FCS pedigree and in general were a newer football program overall. That hasn’t stopped the Panthers from finding success, prior to last year’s shocking change they had 5 winning seasons in the previous 7 years. They are located in metro Atlanta which means they have easier access to recruits but it does take a little marketing to ensure they’re not forgotten in such a big area.
How does the 2025 Roster look?: Georgia State ranks 107th in the country returning 42% of their production per Punt and Rally’s returning production rankings. Key players starts with QB Christian Veilleux who returns after playing well under the circumstances last year, he needs to cut down on picks but not having to carry as much on his shoulders will help. For one, Dell McGee and this staff want to run the ball and they loaded up on backs. Rashod Amos comes over from playing for about half the sport at this point, he was a stud with the Miami RedHawks a few seasons back but left a good situation and found himself struggling to find his footing since. Jordon Simmons (Akron) is going to be really solid and there’s also guys with huge upside like Branson Robinson (Georgia) and Djay Braswell (South Carolina). The Panthers have one of the best receivers in the country in Ted Hurst, he briefly hit the portal in the spring making his return the biggest recruiting win by this staff this offseason, the portal will give them other options too. The Oline has some experience back but they also hit the portal looking for guys with a mean streak that will allow them to better control games. The defense will be led by the linebackers. Josiah Robinson is a really good playmaker for this unit and Damaine Wilson returns as well. The secondary will require a lot of sorting out, corners Chams Diagne and Sam McCall have some experience will step in and the portal will make up the rest. The defensive line has some experience in DT Henry Bryant along with Ian Mathews and Fuches Lewis it’s a unit with experience but lacks size.
Screenshot from FBSchedules.com
2025 Schedule Thoughts: Georgia State will go against a pretty tough schedule. They go on the road to face Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in the non-conference slate, but they get an exciting home game against Memphis. They also face Murray State, a FCS team that struggled last year and brought in a lot of transfers. The Panthers draw Troy and South Alabama from the West division which may not end up being the worst draw. They also don’t leave the state for a month and a half in the middle of the year.
Final Thoughts: This is going to look more like Dell McGee’s team this year. They have some good pieces in place and are in position to make a nice step forward this year. How they handle the early portion of the schedule will determine if they make a run to a bowl or not.
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