# 2017 Georgia State Panthers football team

The 2017 Georgia State Panthers football team represented Georgia State University (GSU) in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Panthers were led by first-year head coach Shawn Elliott. He was hired in December 2016 ahead of the 2017 season. The season marked the first in which they played in the newly acquired Georgia State Stadium, a renovated Turner Field with artificial turf and a 22,000 person capacity. The season was the Panthers' fifth in the Sun Belt Conference and eighth since starting football. The Panthers finished the season 7–5, 5–3 in Sun Belt play to finish in fourth place. They received an invite to the Cure Bowl, where Georgia State defeated Western Kentucky for the Panthers' first bowl win in program history.

## Offseason
### 2017 NFL Draft

Panthers picked in the 2017 NFL Draft:
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Team |
| 6 | 209 | Robert Davis | WR | Washington Redskins |

### Recruits

As of December 21, 2016, the Panthers have a total of 20 recruits committed. Eight are three-star recruits.
| Back | B | Center | C | Cornerback | CB | Defensive back | DB |
| Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E |
| Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K |
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB |
| Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB |
| Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR |
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Chris Sibilia OT | Suwanee, GA | North Gwinnett High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | – | Jul 19, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 68 |||||||
| Connor Robins OT | Saint Augustine, FL | Pedro Menendez High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 330 lb (150 kg) | – | Jan 21, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 71 |||||||
| Jack Walker QB | Madison, MS | Madison Central High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | – | Jan 18, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Jaylon Jones S | Dacula, GA | Dacula High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | – | Jan 15, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Jalen Jackson G | Loganville, GA | Grayson High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 300 lb (140 kg) | – | Jan 20, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Pat Bartlett C | Newtown, PA | Council Rock High School North | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 305 lb (138 kg) | – | Jan 15, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Chris Bacon S | Atlanta, GA | Westlake High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | – | Jan 15, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Roger Carter TE | Blythewood, SC | Blythewood High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | – | Jan 29, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 69 |||||||
| Tamir Jones WR | Norcross, GA | Norcross High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | – | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Kerryon Richardson CB | West Columbia, SC | Airport High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | – | Dec 15, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Trajan McQueen LB | Charlotte, NC | West Mecklenburg High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | – | Jan 16, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Camryn Johnson WR | St. Matthews, SC | Calhoun County High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | – | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Dontae Wilson DT | Jefferson, GA | Jefferson High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | – | Jan 30, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Victor Heywood LB | Hoschton, GA | Mill Creek High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | – | Oct 31, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Deandre Applin S | Milledgeville, GA | Georgia Military College | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.89 | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Jalen Wade LB | Milledgeville, GA | Georgia Military College | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | – | Jan 15, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Malik Sumter DT | Irmo, SC | Dutch Fork High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 284 lb (129 kg) | – | Jan 21, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 68 |||||||
| Jhi'Shawn Taylor LB | Cordele, GA | Crisp County High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | – | Jan 20, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Kevin Kwapis OT | Council Bluffs, IA | Iowa Western Community College | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 315 lb (143 kg) | – | Jan 30, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Hardrick Willis DE | Jonesboro, GA | Mundy's Mill High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | – | Jan 22, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 124 247Sports: 99 ESPN: 101 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 9, 2017. |||||||

## Coaching and support staff

| Name | Position | Consecutive season at Georgia State in current position |
| Shawn Elliott | Head coach | 1st |
| Travis Trickett | Offensive coordinator, quarterback | 1st |
| Nate Fuqua | Defensive coordinator, outside linebackers | 1st |
| Chris Collins | Assistant coach, safeties | 1st |
| Skylor Magee | Assistant coach, defensive line | 1st |
| Trent McKnight | Assistant coach, wide receivers | 1st |
| Sam Shade | Assistant coach, cornerbacks | 1st |
| Josh Stepp | Assistant coach, running backs, tight endss | 1st |
| Cedric Williams | Assistant coach, offensive line | 1st |
| Rusty Wright | Assistant coach, inside linebacker | 1st |
| Ben McLane | Graduate assistant, offense | 2nd |
| Steve Wojcikowski | Director of football operations | 1st |
| Scott Holsopple | Head strength and conditioning coach | 2nd |
| Bob Murphy | Associate AD, sports medicine and nutrition | 2nd |
| Tim Davis | Equipment manager | 2nd |
| Reference: |||

## Schedule

Georgia State announced its 2017 football schedule on March 1, 2017. The 2017 schedule consisted of 6 home and away games in the regular season. The Panthers hosted Sun Belt foes Troy, South Alabama, Appalachian State, and Idaho, and traveled to Coastal Carolina, ULM, Georgia Southern, and Texas State. Georgia State did not play two Sun Belt teams this season, Louisiana and New Mexico State. The team played three non–conference games, one home game against Tennessee State from the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), and two road games against Penn State from the Big Ten and Charlotte from Conference USA.
The scheduled home game against Memphis was canceled when the AAC bought out the contract between the schools for $1.1 million to reschedule a conference game between Memphis and UCF that was canceled during the second week of the season due to Hurricane Irma.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | Tennessee State* | Georgia State StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPN3 | L 10–17 | 24,333 |
| September 16 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 5 Penn State* | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | BTN | L 0–56 | 102,746 |
| September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | at Charlotte* | Jerry Richardson StadiumCharlotte, NC | Peachtree TV | W 28–0 | 11,029 |
| October 7 | 6:30 p.m. | at Coastal Carolina | Brooks StadiumConway, SC | ESPN3 | W 27–21 | 15,991 |
| October 14 | 5:00 p.m. | at Louisiana–Monroe | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN3 | W 47–37 | 12,578 |
| October 21 | 2:00 p.m. | Troy | Georgia State StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPN3 | L 10–34 | 15,388 |
| October 26 | 7:30 p.m. | South Alabama | Georgia State StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPNU | W 21–13 | 12,125 |
| November 4 | 3:00 p.m. | at Georgia Southern | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA | ESPN3 | W 21–17 | 18,722 |
| November 11 | 4:00 p.m. | at Texas State | Bobcat StadiumSan Marcos, TX | ESPN3 | W 33–30 | 14,017 |
| November 25 | 2:00 p.m. | Appalachian State | Georgia State StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPN3 | L 10–31 | 13,154 |
| December 2 | 2:00 p.m. | Idaho | Georgia State StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPN3 | L 10–24 | 14,163 |
| December 16 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. Western Kentucky* | Camping World StadiumOrlando, FL (Cure Bowl) | CBSSN | W 27–17 | 19,585 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game |||||||
    Schedule source:

## Game summaries
### Tennessee State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Panthers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
* First game at Georgia State Stadium.

### At Penn State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nittany Lions | 14 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 56 |

### At Charlotte

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| 49ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### At Coastal Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
| Chanticleers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |

### At Louisiana–Monroe

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 13 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 47 |
| Warhawks | 10 | 0 | 14 | 13 | 37 |

### Troy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 7 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
| Panthers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |

### South Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Panthers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### At Georgia Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Eagles | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |

### At Texas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 10 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 33 |
| Bobcats | 7 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 30 |

### Appalachian State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| Panthers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |

### Idaho

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vandals | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Panthers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
* This was the Vandals' final game as an FBS member for the foreseeable future. Idaho football will downgrade to FCS, joining the school's other sports in the Big Sky Conference for 2018 and beyond.

### vs Western Kentucky–Cure Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Panthers | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 27 |