Georgia State prepares to welcome its first football recruits
UPDATED WITH NEW INFORMATION, 4:45 P.M. . . .
Mark Hogan will finally get some teammates.
Hogan, a 5-11, 190-pound running back/wide receiver out of Matthews, N.C., has been Georgia State’s lone football player for the past year. But he’ll be joined by 27 signees and 42 walkons as the Panthers welcome their first full crop of players to campus on Tuesday. The team will commence with its first practice three days later at Martin Luther King Middle School. Still in start-up mode, Georgia State won’t start competing until the fall of 2010.
“It really is fun now,” head coach Bill Curry said. “It’s definitely real. We’ve got some real players coming in, a lot of good walkons, some of whom we were surprised to get. But it got real for me when the students voted an $85 a person athletic fee. This is something they wanted, and now they’re going to get it.”
The lure of playing for Curry and having a chance to be part of something new appears to have drawn some talent that exceeds the normal parameters of a Division I-AA program.
“We didn’t sign anybody that can’t run and hit and play football,” said Curry, who has coached at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky. “Some of these guys I would have signed at any of the other places I coached.”
Quarterback Drew Little provides the Panthers an excellent building block for the future. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound graduate of Henry County finished his high school career as the second-most prolific passer in state history with 9,003 yards and 105 total touchdowns.
The Panthers also look to have a good mixture of size and athleticism. There is 6-foot-6, 296-pound offensive lineman Eduardo Curry (no relation to the head coach) of Grayson and quarterback/athlete Kelton Hill (5-11, 173) of Lithia Springs.
The Panthers plan to add to their roster total as quickly as possible. NCAA rules for the former I-AA division allow them to eventually have an allotment of 63 scholarships, which Curry and his staff can parcel out however they please. He said they probably won’t sign more than 18 or 20 and include a few junior college players in this next class so to not overcommit the first two years.
“There will be some attrition,” he said. “We hope it’s not too much but there always is.”
I’ll have a lot more on Georgia State’s process of building a program from scratch over the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, let me know what you think about Panthers’ prospects and what you may know about their current players and program. Regardless of your current affiliation, as Atlantans and Georgians is it a program you’ll root for?
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59 comments Add your comment
Saint Simons
August 6th, 2009
2:02 pm
45 -42 !!!!!!!! hahahahahaahahahahaha
E
August 6th, 2009
2:33 pm
I will be down at the Ga. Dome next year cheer on the Panthers. Should be interesting to see how the first year goes, there’splenty of talent in the metro area, they should have a pretty competitive team. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a few Div. 1 transfers join the team next year, a lot of kids transfer to Div 1-AA programs closer to home when things don’t work out at the larger schools, especially if it means immediate playing time.
chuck
August 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
I’m a Tech fan, but St. Simons, r u really going to do that in every blog for the whole year? Although it’s pretty annoying, I guess I have to commend you on your ability to persevere.
ROLL TIDE
August 6th, 2009
4:15 pm
NICK SABAN IS GAY. HE HAS A MAN CRUSH ON TIM TEBOW
DawginLex
August 6th, 2009
4:19 pm
NO GEORGIA STATE PANTHER GONNA EVER BEAT NO GEORGIA BULLDOOG. THEM BULLDOGS THE BEST EVER. THEY WILL GO UNDEFEATED EVERY YEAR FOR THE NEXT 650 YEARS. WRITE IT DOWN. WOOF WOOF!
Starring Kan Fong as Chin Ho
August 6th, 2009
4:24 pm
St Simons is actually Reggie Ball. Or Reggies’ balls, I can’t tell which
TampaGator
August 6th, 2009
4:39 pm
I wish Curry and his players a lot of luck in building the program. They did not pick the best time in history to do so…but the best to you. Curry: question? Why did you run out on Ga. Tech, the place of your football birth, to go coach at a school where they hated you so much? Oh, maybe don’t ask him that question. Not revelant anymore, I guess. Better question, maybe: Why did you give up your comfortable ESPN announcer job to take on a start-up college program at an “in-city, commuter” school that really does not have any sports tradition or following? Seems to me that another old timer tried that and it did not work out so well for him. Not so bad a question, I guess. But a good journalist can probably come up with a better one to ask Mr. Curry. But I always did think you were a better broadcaster than a football coach. But, still, good luck in your venture in downtown Atlanta. Should be interesting to see how long you stay on board the ship there.
SANTA DAWG
August 6th, 2009
5:46 pm
hey st.simons, if you don`t have any thing else to do but woof out 45-42, come up to ellijay and help me pick apples. with a mind as warped as yours, i could teach you very easy. o.k. here we go. get a bucket,go under the apple tree and reach up and get an apple and put it in your bucket.i think that it is so simple that you being a simple tech fan can handle this, don`t you?
DawgsRule
August 6th, 2009
5:53 pm
Saint Simons’ brain is obviously in pause mode. I bet he walks around all day saying, “45-42!!!hahaha” which makes him a bonafide lunatic. I’m sure he’s related to M who always mentions God, Greyhound and Chan Gailey. Typical Georgia Tech fans!!!!!!
Bounty Hunter
August 6th, 2009
6:07 pm
I finally found you, Saint Simons! He escaped custody in November 2008. He’s been seen slobbering and blabbering non-sense (e.g., 45-42 hahaha) in the Atlanta area for the last 9 months. He repeats himself over and over and over and is an embarrassment to Georgia Tech. If seen do not approach. Please call Paul Johnson @ 400-GET-REAL.
SaintSimonsLoverboy
August 6th, 2009
6:24 pm
This isn’t a blog about UGA Saint Simons. You are such a loser. How is your man blowup doll treating you these days?
Tampa Gator
August 6th, 2009
6:46 pm
Obviously this story did not produce the blog responses that Chip desired. Chip, I would not recommend doing that story on Georgia State just yet. Interest is not, exactly, too high right now based on these responses. Maybe you should do a story on Saint Simons. Interest in him seems to be real high…just what he wants, I believe.
Monticello Dawg
August 6th, 2009
7:09 pm
I think GSU has a chance to be very competitive in their league really soon. Getting Curry gives them a credibility that would likely be lacking otherwise. I would expect State to be the recipient of UGA upperclassmen who see the handwriting on the wall (on the depth chart) and decide they will be able to get PT more easily there.
Tim
August 6th, 2009
7:10 pm
Thanks Chips for the GSU love!! And contrary to popular belief, there is a real buzz about football at Georgia State. And Tampa Gator, how about you keep up? GSU continues to add more and more on campus housing every year. Greek and Freshman only housing is also on the way so you may want to drop the commuter school label. And again Tampa Gator, if you actually bothered doing a little homework you’ll notice Curry has already answered your question about why GSU on all the talk radio and print interviews he has done.
Roddy White here and listen up, dog
August 6th, 2009
7:26 pm
Tim…why so defensive? Just having some fun, man. I think it is great that Georgia State is going into football. That is what college is about, right? And I am still ticked off about Curry leaving Tech for Bama. I am and still am a big Bill Curry fan. Great center and linebacker at Tech, and a good center for the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts. Brought Tect back and then jumped ship. I hope that does not happen to Ga. State…the non commuter school.
Tampa Gator
August 6th, 2009
7:27 pm
Tim…sorry, I forgot to change the name for the post for a fun blog I posted earlier on another story that I found very boring. I’m not really Roddy White.
Tampa Gator
August 6th, 2009
7:29 pm
P.S. Great business degree program, too. I hope your football program becomes just as good some day…with or without Bill Curry at the helm.
Not Disappointed
August 6th, 2009
7:47 pm
Best of Luck to you Georgia State. I wish you guys lots of wins. There’s plenty of talent in Georgia, Florida, etc.
Go Panthers!
Ramblin Wrecking!!!!
dagtbuzzman
August 6th, 2009
9:03 pm
History lesson. West Ga College 1981 brought football back. 1982 they win a national championship in their 1st year. I was there. I was so jealous of those guys getting a chance to play. I was a graduating senior & my time had gone by. Those guys beat on each other for a full year. They were real hungry when their 1st season finally rolled around. If Ga State is not starting the Southern Conference, they really could have some early success.
G State Ben
August 6th, 2009
9:49 pm
Correction: Eduardo Curry is not from Grayson, he’s an OL from West Ashley HS in Charleston, SC. I believe Chip is meaning Harrison Clottey from Grayson is 6′6 and 296lbs.
Panther Pride!
guy
August 7th, 2009
3:38 am
Saint Simons should change their name to Simple Simons.
Dawg Roberson
August 7th, 2009
5:10 am
Roddy White just scored again!
Panther Class of' '75
August 7th, 2009
7:37 am
To give some Atlantan’s a little history, We were talking about a football team back when I was there..We played flag football on sunday’s at Piedmont park, listened to unknown music groups like Flood, The Alman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, Leonard Skynard, ARS, and others. It was a great gathering place for everyone in the city. Glad GSU has made a dream a reality. Good Luck to Coach Curry and his staff…
Phildo
August 7th, 2009
7:47 am
E, you’ll have plenty of seats to choose from since your only company will be one pretzel vendor. But, you’ve got to hand it to G State for its megalomania, which also fits their coach to a tee. With no offense intended to the young men who are seeking an opportunity to play, what an absolute joke and having to practice at a middle school to boot. The only school in the area with a reasonable chance to start a successful new football program is Kennesaw State.
J Smurf
August 7th, 2009
9:11 am
This program will surpass Georgia Southern in 5 years….maybe less.
J Smurf
August 7th, 2009
9:11 am
By “surpass”, I mean “be better than”.
Atlanta Gator
August 7th, 2009
9:26 am
Never thought I would live to see the day . . . good for Coach Curry and Georgia State.
Tim
August 7th, 2009
9:58 am
Phildo, kindly stop talking out of your rear! The state of the art practice facility is under construction mintues from campus and will be completed in January.
JB
August 7th, 2009
10:32 am
sad….Curry will leave coaching his last two years with a 2-22 record………Question…..Why would Curry, A tech Alum, a clean cut favorite of the flats, a well thought of Tech man, Leave for an SEC coaching job ? I think we all know why………..Do you what to eat steak at Golden Corral or Ruth Chris ?
Dawg Fan in Grayson
August 7th, 2009
10:34 am
Now that Ga. State has its own football team what will GT do for a band? I hear Kennesaw St. might be able help.
Coach Cool
August 7th, 2009
10:46 am
GSU is home to 25K+ students. Multiply $85 per student (football fee) and that’s a nice chunk of change.
To the football snobs out there: football start-ups in the early 20th century were much worse than what the Panthers are facing. Give it time to breathe!
BTW: As an example: the “mighty” g8rs didn’t win a CONFERENCE title until NINETEEN NINETY-ONE! (Thanks to “Cheatin’ Charlie Pell and Galen Hall, current OC for JoePa the g8rs were ineligible in 1984, 1985 & 1990)
uf started playing football in NINETEEN AUGHT SIX. You do the math!
EJ
August 7th, 2009
10:48 am
JB, please take your biterness elsewhere. This is about Georgia State and not a platform for you to whine.
Joe T
August 7th, 2009
11:13 am
As a GSU alum, I will be purchasing season tickets along with two other friends for the first season. We are excited and it will be great for the school.
Braindawg
August 7th, 2009
11:21 am
Doesnt Ga St. play Alabama their first yr. Oh my god what a smack down that will be! But Bill I have to say it, you got guts! (and of course the big pay check that comes with it, which is exactly why your playing this game!)
eaglefan
August 7th, 2009
11:33 am
keep dreaming smurf
Hammer22
August 7th, 2009
11:40 am
Phildo you’re a joke. You have no idea what you are talking about.
No offense? Our offensive coordinator is John Bond, who has spent the previous 11 years coaching at Georgia Tech, Army, Northern Illinois, and Illinois State.
CAA Reality Check
August 7th, 2009
12:11 pm
The Panthers will be playing in the CAA by 2012, the best FCS conference in the country. Their division includes James Madison, Univ. of Richmond, Delaware, and Villanova. The North is no slouch either with the Univ. of NH, UMass and Maine. Unless Curry recruits like a madman they will be league doormats along with Old Dominion. It’s going to be a long couple of years for the Panthers.
Pi$$onaDawg
August 7th, 2009
12:34 pm
I wish the city would let Ga. State use the flat area of Piedmont Park to run practices this year and that would help them get some fans. I know that is crazy but it would get the ITP folks to see the Panthers and maybe go to a game. I will go to the games when Tech is out of town and I am not traveling to see it. Bill Curry is the Man Mark Reicht is trying to become. Wait wait that is wrong. Curry played under a Class coach and actually played in games under DODD. He Played under VINCE in Green Bay and then with the Colts. Curry PLAYED while CMR watched.
surfrider
August 7th, 2009
1:05 pm
As a Tech fan I’ll always appreciate what Curry did for Tech from helping upgrade the facilities to the recruiting. He did’nt have the Head Coaching experience at the time and did a great job building Tech.
We sometimes forget the difficulty of the schedule he had particularly early on with Alabama, ND, Florida, Ga. S.C. Tenn, etc…He and the Paul Johnsons are what student/athlete coaches are suppose to be about so it’s going to be interesting to watch Georgia State develop it’s football program.
JB
August 7th, 2009
1:06 pm
What Saturday is “homeless” day at Grant field this year…………….At least the stands will be full……
JB
August 7th, 2009
1:10 pm
surf, wanna fill up Grant Field ? play that schedule again……Gardner Webb and Tenn/Chatt. ain’t selling any tickets……….grow some nads and play some of those teams again.
Matt
August 7th, 2009
1:27 pm
I am a fan of GSU football. They will be a good team in the years to come. Where did Jerry Rice go to school? I hope you can understand what I mean.
GT
August 7th, 2009
1:44 pm
There is a lot of basketball talent too, that doesn’t seem to make State’s basketball team any more competitive. What may level the playing field is the Hope Scholarship, but the same walkon can now go to Tech so if he is really good he is going to go to Tech live at home and have the same benefits of a full scholarship player. That is why Tech and Georgia have such great spring sport’s team.
Bob
August 7th, 2009
1:53 pm
Don’t worry Saint Simons, that won’t happen again! Good luck to the Georgia State football team. They should schedule Georgia Tech in a couple of years. Then they can claim the Metro Atlanta Championship.
GoPanthers610
August 7th, 2009
1:53 pm
DawgfaninGrayson,
GA State is currently putting together its own band without the help of that stupid idiot school KSU. GA State does not need their help. We got this!
Bernie
August 7th, 2009
2:35 pm
As a GATOR,I wish Coach Curry and everybody at Georgia State the best at starting up a major program.Start with getting the in-state recruits first..alot of talent there.Again all the best! GO GATORS!
rhynster
August 7th, 2009
2:37 pm
It isn’t difficult to see Conference USA or Big East having interest in Georgia State down the road, if the long term goals include a move to I-A.
Here are some urban universities that compare favorably to Georgia State
UAB (C-USA)
Cincinnati (Big East)
Florida International (Sun Belt)
Houston (C-USA)
Memphis (C-USA)
Pittsburgh (Big East)
Temple (MAC)
I would guess that being a competitive team at that level and making it to mid-level bowl games would be reasonable long term goals for the program.
GaStPanthers
August 7th, 2009
2:43 pm
GoPanthers610,
I think Dawg fan in Grayson, was referring to KSU helping GT with their band…not with KSU helping GSU for our band.
If any GSU fans out there are interested in talking about football, GSU athletics, or GSU in general come on over to: http://www.caazone.com/boards/viewforum.php?f=29.
Pi$$onaDawg
August 7th, 2009
4:00 pm
Joey Gebo 6-1 DB/WR from Apalachee High in Winder, GA needs to be looked at. If any of you have ties to a highschool then help coach PUGH get TAPE/CD and Transcripts on your players. Coach Bill is a Good Man and Coach at a good school. Hit the GSU website and read the Bio.s of the Staff and I think you will be impressed. Curry, Bond, and Pugh are the read deal. If you want your kids to get a shot at SUNDAYS then these guys can get it done. If your kids don’t make it to the NFL, then GSU can get them to the Boardroom. GSU is not a drunk bimbo frat boy party school. You people know Tyler Perry has a studio in the ATL now. GSU has a great film school too. Football is not the end all to be all, but just a stepping stone into LIFE for more than 85% of college players. Bill Curry will help with his non-NFL players through the next 10%. The rest is up to the STUDENT ATHLETE.
GSUEAGLE98
August 7th, 2009
4:06 pm
Jsmurf get real. Congrats on Georgia State starting their football program. I am a native atlantan and always thought that it would be cool for Georgia State to have a football team. Hopefully they will start a natural rival with Georgia Southern so that we can finally settle the real GSU arguement. GO EAGLES!!!!! Can you say 6 real National Championships.
Phildo
August 7th, 2009
4:10 pm
Tim and Hammer22, what are you guys smoking? You’ve got a loser coach, and I’m a Tech grad that knows. Don’t totally misunderstand me, however. My daughter is a G State alum, and I would actually like to see them succeed, but but judging from how well Lefty, a real coach, was supported with his fine B-ball program, things don’t look promising. Can’t blame you for hoping though.
shannon1776
August 7th, 2009
4:26 pm
Now Tech is the 2nd most relevant college team in the city
GSU
August 7th, 2009
4:33 pm
I can see Ga. State having alot of early success. They will be playing in an NFL stadium, in a major city, in a recruiting hotbed (most kids tend to want to stay closer to home, instead of going to a mid-major D-1 school, they can stay in the Metro area and play in front of family and friends in the GA. Dome)
blazerdawg
August 7th, 2009
5:26 pm
I wish the Panthers the best. GSU is really a great school with an interesting student body that will support football.
They are in a great conference, but the fun part will be the in-state rivalries that will develop between Georgia State, Valdosta State and Georgia Southern. Wait unitl V State and Southern get to play in the Georgia Dome…it will be awesome!
Joseph B.
August 7th, 2009
9:31 pm
I’m a student at GSU and very excited about the upcoming football program. I grew up in southern Georgia where football is almost a second religion and it’s the one thing I miss. As others have pointed out, I think if things are done right we’ve got a good chance to field a decent team quickly. The only downfall I see to the equation is playing in the Georgia Dome. I would rather GSU have a stadium that they can pack out than one that’s going to appear empty. =/
Sugar Hill Dawg
August 8th, 2009
5:26 pm
I’m UGA Class of 1975 (BS Ed), and GSU Class of 1983 (M Ed) – I’ll be pulling for both programs. Sooner or later GSU will schedule UGA and Tech (as Georgia Southern has done – I assume they’ve played or will soon play Tech). If GSU can find a more realistic stadium setting (the Dome will have that Tech vs Gardner-Webb feeling), their game day experience will be lacking in excitement. I’ve always admired Bill Curry – left alone, I feel he’ll have the Panthers in the Big East by 2015.
BigMike
August 9th, 2009
3:43 am
Saint Simons is really Richard Simmons alter ego!! “Bring those balls boy’s yea!!!45 to 42 of them ex- large.
TY
August 9th, 2009
10:42 pm
We have some kids down here in Jackson Ga that ya guys need to come and look at. #17, #10, #9, #40, #67, #25… #11 has already committed
Hammer22
August 9th, 2009
11:25 pm
Check out this link TY for any recruits you think Curry might be interested in. It’s how the recruits, coaches, or anyone should contact the staff on a player.
http://www.georgiastatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12700&ATCLID=1589051