Strategy Session: Offseason OL Gains

Entering the 2011 offseason, there has been some discussion about strength/quality weight gain in the weight room.  Coach Bill Curry has mentioned publically that the S&C program lacked organization and post spring Doug Roberson of the AJC mentioned:

Then this past Monday, the school posts an Assistant Athletic Director - Speed, Strength & Conditioning position.

As a team, Curry said in the 12 to 18 months that most of the players have been in the program, he hasn’t seen enough improvement from time spent in the weight room. He said he is working to fix that area, but declined to offer any details.

So what is bugging Coach Curry?  Today, I'll start with our projected two deep along the starting Offensive Line.

  

Position	Name	2010 Weight	2011 Weight
LT	Clyde Yandell	287	287
	Ulrick John	280	290
LG	Joe Gilbert	280	290
	Michael Davis	280*	295
C	Ben Jacoby	270	285
	Tim Wynn	270*	270
RG	Harrison Clottey	310	310
	LaDeven Kirkland	340	340
RT	Grant King	285	285
	Gabriel Hampton	320	320

*Cade Yates served as back up in 2010 while Michael Davis was out after suffering a season ending ACL tear.

My Analysis: Our starting offensive line has gained a total of 25lbs (2.5lbs per man).  This is not good enough to improve upon a run game that struggled mightily in 2010.  I look for this new hire to push the OL for much bigger gains and hope to see a combined weight gain near 45-50lbs total by September.

A Big Thanks to my man Bud Elliot at Tomahawk Nation for the inspiration behind this series.

Coach Curry Addresses Softball Team Before Critical Road Trip

I don't care what sport it is, CBC can flat out motivate.  And from what I've been told he was a very good baseball player so he absolutely know this game.

"We respect everyone. We don't fear anyone. We aren't scared of anyone's record because their record isn't going to throw one strike, steal one base or throw someone out on a fast bunt. Not one time.  Refuse to lose. People who refuse to lose turn into people that are impossible to defeat."

From GSU Sports Communications

Spring Scrimmage Scoring Explained

Ok, there's been a few Spring Games around the country already and people get very confused by the scoring system.  Here's the breakdown by Coach Bill Curry:

Offense Scores:
6 Points for TD
1 Point for PAT
2 Points for Plays 20 yards or more


Defense Scores:
2 Points for 3 and Out
1 Point for Tackle For Loss
1 Point for Sack
4 Points for a Turnover with no score
7 Points for Turnover with score (Return for TD)
2 Points for Safety

Source: CBC's Twitter

ATH Justin Simmons is Offer #4

Justin Simmons snatches an offer from the Panthers

Photo Courtesy of TCPalm.com

I give our coaching staff credit, we like shopping for recruits in the Treasure Coast of Florida.  Justin Simmons of Martin County HS (Stuart, FL) is the 4th offer from Coach Bill Curry and the coaching staff.

DB Coach Anthony Midget is combing his state very well and I'm glad to see going after these guys early.  We are Simmons' first confirmed offer which is huge.

Rivals.com Profile

Junior Highlights

SB Nation Atlanta Link

Florida RB Gabe Johnson is 2012 Offer #3

Say hello to Gabe Johnson Panther Nation

Photo Courtesy of Rivals.com

Coach Bill Curry and the coaching staff continue to focus on the offensive side of the ball with their 3rd scholarship offer in the 2012 recruiting cycle.  This time, it's Gabe Johnson from Bartram Trail HS in Jacksonville, Florida.  Johnson is 5'9, 190lbs power back who averaged 5 yards per game in his Junior season for the Bears.  He plays in a very similiar style offense to ours and the numbers reported below were in 9 games in 2010 and 10 games in 2011.  We are his first confirmed offer, which I believe gives us a great chance as he should put up big numbers as a Senior.

2010 Stats: 86 carries, 432 yards, 5 TDs, 14 catches, 172 yards, 1 TDs
2009 Stats: 75 carries, 381 yards, 5 TD, 16 catches, 244 yards, 2 TDs

From Rivals.com Chris Nee: Saw him last season against St. Augustine (Fla.) Pedro Menendez. I liked him. Capable back with good hands who is a receiving option. His speed on the field is good, but heard he recently ran a poor 40 at a camp or combine.

Senior Highlights

Updated: Florida ATH Travares Copeland is Offer #2 for 2012

Photo Courtesy of TCPalm.com

Coach Bill Curry and the Panthers football staff have offered their 2nd grant in aid for the 2012 cycle to Ft. Lee Westwood HS (Port St. Lucie, FL) Athlete Travares Copeland.

Copeland is 5'11, 180lbs and has offers from Kentucky, South Florida and Louisville at this point.  He has played QB and DB in 2010 but has worked out as WR in several spring camps in 2011 and has seen his interest soar. 

Chris Nee from Rivals.com: Copeland is a special talent. He plays QB in high school but can be a very good WR at the collegiate level. Kid is very well put together and very athletic with good hands. He will blow up as a senior at Treasure Coast.

Josh Newberg of 247sports.com had to say:
ATH Travares Copeland won WR MVP and overall camp MVP. He’s one heck of an athlete. He plays mainly QB and WR in high school. At 5’11 he’s probably going to get a lot of looks as a slot receiver by colleges. I think he could also be a lock-down type corner. It will be interesting to see where colleges recruit him, there is not a lot of film of him playing CB. He definitely has the quickness to be a Nick Waisome type cover corner….he’s also got the swag. He’s a great kid with a real personality.

2010 Junior Highlights

2009 Sophomore Highlights

Addressing the Suspension: Short Term Pain, Long Term Gain

Yesterday, Coach Bill Curry announced the suspensions of 2010 Starting QB Drew Little and SS Fred Barnes for 4 games and 2 games, respectively.  Starting ILB Femi Opanubi was dismissed.  Starting WR Danny Williams and ILB Evan Bostic are suspended for the first week of Spring Practice which starts in 10 days.  Back up QB Star Jackson and CB Justin Hughes have left the team.  While this incited every reaction from disappointment to shock to worry, I'm here to calm the Panther Nation.

Both players were suspended for a violation of team rules and I will not begin to speculate the nature of the rules that they broke but I'll say this: For every current and future player, the line in the sand has been drawn.  Either you are pulling in the same direction or you let go of the rope. 

So why am I so calm?  We will be without our 2010 leader of the offense vs. Clark Atlanta, Old Dominion, at Jacksonville State and at Houston.  This is not good news for the anticipated results in those games.  We then face Murray State at home and then will have an Open date.  If Drew is prepared to resume his role as the Starting QB, he will have 2 weeks of practice time to regain that title.  If not, he'll likely serve as a back up as I believe the plan is to redshirt incoming Freshman Ben McLane, who will arrive in June.  After this 4 game stretch, I believe our schedule breaks slightly with five of the next seven games are very winnable games. 

Also, from a scholarship side of things, losing Star, Femi and Justin Hughes may look like very bad news but I believe that Star had checked out after a disappointing Fall and I wish him well.  Femi's loss hurts but we've added Qwontez Mallory who is likely to step right in and start once he arrives in May.  Hughes likely saw the writing on the wall as we added a very talented CB in D'Mario Gunn who I project as a starter in Spring.

Coach Curry has been described as "Old School." If that means that you set out expectations to your players and then you enforce discipline when those expectations are not met, then I hope our program stays "Old School" for a long, long time.

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments" - Jim Rohn.

Coach Curry Weighs In on NFL Lockout

Pretty good read and glad to see CBC getting called upon for his thoughts.

Baltimore Sun

2011 GSU Football Schedule is Announced!

The wait is over. The 2011 Georgia State football schedule has been announced by Georgia State Sports Communications.

2011 GEORGIA STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thursday, Sept. 1st vs. CLARK ATLANTA
Saturday, Sept. 10th vs. OLD DOMINION
Saturday, Sept. 17th at Jacksonville State
Saturday, Sept. 24th at Houston
Saturday, Oct. 8th vs. MURRAY STATE
Saturday, Oct. 15th at South Carolina State
Saturday, Oct. 22nd vs. SOUTH ALABAMA (Homecoming)
Saturday, Oct. 29th at UTSA
Saturday, Nov. 5th vs. LAMBUTH
Saturday, Nov. 12th at West Alabama
Saturday, Nov. 19th vs. CAMPBELL

*Home Games in Bold

Here is a statement from Director of Athletics Cheryl Levick - "We're pleased with the quality and variety of opponents, and the structure of the schedule sets up well for our team and our fans. After such an overwhelmingly positive response to our inaugural season, we can't wait to kick off year two. Our attendance and fan support have been tremendous, the Georgia Dome has been a wonderful partner, and we look for continued growth in 2011."
The full story from Georgia State can be found here.

The home schedule should be much appreciated by fans planning to attend the games. After seeing six home games in a seven week period to kick-off the 2010 schedule, the 2011 schedule of 2 home games in each month of September, October and November is a much welcomed change. The only consecutive home games are in the first two weeks. Job well done to Levick and company for giving us a balance schedule!

Stay tuned for Ben's initial thoughts on the strength of schedule for the 2011 season!

Social Media & Recruiting - GSU Style

Coach Bill Curry has a nice write up about GSU Recruiting in this Gainesville Times article.

Brookwood HS QB Ben McLane Commits to GSU

State Champion Ben McLane Headed to Georgia State

According to the AJC’s Michael Carvell, Brookwood HS QB Ben McLane of the AAAAA State Champion Brookwood Broncos has verbally commited to Georgia State today and will sign his LOI on Wednesday.

“Coach Curry said we have a great thing going on here on Georgia State, and we want you to be a part of it,” McLane said. “I was sold after my official visit. I told Coach Curry that I’m on board, and that’s an honor to be part of building this new football program into one with rich tradition.”


The 6’1, 215lbs signal caller was targeted late in the recruiting process and it was no secret that Coach Curry desired a QB in this cycle. McLane was a 3 year starter for the Broncos in a very run first scheme. He is an above average athlete, very accurate and can throw the deep ball well.

“I wanted to be part of a startup program that is fairly new,” McLane said. “Georgia State has a great coaching staff, and it’s just a great opportunity. My gut instinct told me that it is the right place for me.”

He looks to likely take a Redshirt in the Fall and compete for a back up role in 2012. He is the 5th HS prospect to commit in this cycle.  He looks like he could gain 8-10lb of quality muscle.

2010 Stats: 144 /237 (61%) , 2342 yards and 15 TDs

2009 Stats: Completed 58% of his passes for 1790 yards and 16 TDs

GSU Football Heading to FBS Houston

Via GSU Sports Communications:

The Georgia State football team will face its second Football Bowl Subdivision opponent next fall as the Panthers play at Houston, Director of Athletics Cheryl L. Levick and Head Football Coach Bill Curry announced.

The GSU-Houston contest is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011 at Robertson Stadium, which seats 32,000. Kickoff time is to be determined.

“We are very pleased to announce a game with a quality FBS program like Houston,” said Levick. “Attractive intersectional matchups like this raise the profile of Georgia State football and help us build our program.”

“This game presents another tremendous opportunity for our football team to test itself against a strong Houston program on their home field,” said Curry. “Houston has an impressive coach in Kevin Sumlin and an outstanding quarterback in Case Keenum, who was injured this season but has been granted a sixth year of eligibility.”

Ken Sugiura of the AJC reports that the payout is expected to be $300,000 from the Conference USA school.  Quite a bit lower than what Alabama paid but the Tide also have much deeper pockets and a stadium nearly 3 times as big as the Cougars.

Coach Curry #4 on Sunday Paper's People of 2010

4. Bill Curry

Bill Curry certainly wasn’t lacking for career accolades in 2008, when he accepted Georgia State University’s offer to head up its new football team. But the Georgia Tech alum, a nine-year NFL veteran and a respected coach with stints at Alabama and his alma mater, inspired us in a whole different way with his newest gig. At an age when most people are easing into retirement, Curry, 68, ably built an entire football program from the ground up (with the help of GSU’s Athletics Department, of course)—recruiting, staffing, and generally laying the groundwork for a successful program. What’s more, he led the inaugural Panthers squad to a respectable 6-5 record, including a memorable 41-7 victory over Shorter College in Georgia State’s first-ever game at an exuberant Georgia Dome. Curry’s leadership, his vision and his willingness to shoulder such an imposing task in his seventh decade helped a skeptical city embrace the fledgling team as its own.—K.F.M.

Sunday Paper Link

AJC: GSU Stocking Up 3rd Class

Good work by our guy Ken at the AJC.  Interesting nuggets including 7 commits at this point (4 public) and that CBC doesn't expect anyone to transfer to this point.

AJC Link

SportsDaily: Interview with Coach Curry

Short but good Q & A with Coach Curry (honestly, when is it not, the man gets it done with the media).

My favorite Question and Answer:

Q: How long do you think you’ll keep coaching?

Curry: Wow… (long pause) I didn’t expect that question. It chokes me up to think about not doing it. I start to think about missing out on my grandchildren growing up. Joe Paterno is my hero and one of my best buddies. I will not be like Joe. I promised that to [wife] Carolyn and Sue Paterno. He is doing the right thing for him. I’m going to do it for as long as it makes sense to Carolyn Curry and those children that I coach.

Sports Business Daily Link

Wednesday's Quick Hitters - 12.8.10

Good Morning Panther Nation!  I hope you are enjoying the winter sports season and I hope to see you out at a men's or women's basketball game very soon.  We are counting down the days until signing day (56 for HS prospects and 7 for JUCO prospects) and I will be updating you with information as I hear it. 

Onto the links...

Coach Bond Helps GSU: Always interesting to hear perspective from outside our Metro area.  Northwest Arkansas Online Link

Got this tip from the Godfather of Football.  For any of you that watch Antique Roadshow, they stumbled upon a Green Bay Packers team signed football.  Of course, Coach Curry had signed it.  Pretty cool.  PBS Link

Comparing CBC to FBS Coaching Salaries.  Based on what Coach Curry's reported salary (he is the highest paid coach in FCS) he would make more than 5 FBS coaches.  USA Today Coaches Contracts for 2010 

Did you know? In 1989, GSU's band was rented by eventual Men's Basketball National Champion Michigan?  USA Today Story on Steve Fisher

Updated: DC John Thompson to Arkansas State?

12.7.10 Update - Spoke to a contact of mine in Jonesboro, Arkansas and he confirmed that there has been lengthy communication with Coach Thompson about joining Arkansas State. My source was led to believe it's a matter of budget and ability to pay him a salary that is acceptable and competitive. No confirmation from there side or ours but my contact communicated with several boosters who say there has been communication between both parties and there have been appeals made to raise enough money through donations to bring Thompson in.

The rumbling from The Den at ArkSt.com, an unofficial message board of Arkansas State football is discussing the possibility of our Defensive Coordinator and Asst. HC for scheduling and strategic planning as being named the new DC under new coach Hugh Freeze. 

Freeze knows Thompson very well and they served together at Ole Miss and this would be a very good hire for Arkansas State.  I have the utmost confidence that CBC would hire a more than capable replacement if JT does accept this position.

This is not a shock to anyone that has followed our program as Thompson was actually a finalist candidate for the LSU DC job last season.  This is the blessing and the curse of a brand new program, if you experience success, your coaching staff gets poached by much larger programs. 

Monday Quick Hitters - 11.29.10

Happy Monday Panther Nation!  I hope you've cleaned out the Thanksgiving leftovers out of your fridge and your Holiday decorations are hung with care. 

Onto the links...

Recruiting Update: As CBC said in his call in show last Monday, we have 8 scholarships to give for the 2011 season prior to academic and football related  (playing time, home sick, etc.) attrition.  Our official scholarship total is at 55.5.  We have one commit in DE Roderick Thompson from Mays HS.  We will be updating this each Monday and I'll be giving you my projected breakdown closer to Signing Day.

Recruits Still in the GHSA Playoffs: It's no secret that we are after a Kicker to replace Senior Iain Vance.  What's unclear is which kicker(s) we are after.  We have mutual interest in both Roswell's Ty Long and Starr's Mill's Ryan Nowicki.  The latter will face Tucker this weekend in Final 4 Playoff action.

Even Practice Squad Football Players Make the Paper: Nice Profile of Freshman OL Andrew Newsmith from Forsyth Central HS. Forysth News Link

Notes from Coach Curry's Call In Show

Yesterday marked the final Coach Bill Curry Call In Show of 2010 and he gave tremendous insight and mapped out the recruiting process and the offseason while discussing the Alabama game.

Some highlights:
-All of the coaches watched the Alabama film and they were itching to get to the practice field again.
-CBC was disappointed in the games results but the team did not hang their heads, they kept fighting vs. Alabama.
-Spotlighted RT Grant King, TE Arthur 'Bully' Williams and QB Kelton Hill for their play vs. the Crimson Tide.
-Curry looks back fondly on the season and says that he was glad they scheduled the way they did.  It would have been easy to schedule "cupcakes" every week and win every game. 
-Recruiting Game Plan: Based on current roster, we could sign 8 right now, expects that number to grow to 10-12 (or more) in February (I fully expect some academic and football related attrition).  Coach Curry rolled down his wish list: Defensive Line, Safety, Linebacker, Quarterback (Coach Curry's goal is to sign 1 in every cycle) and a Kicker (big loss in Iain Vance but we can sell immediate playing time).
-More Recruiting: Says staff has hit JUCO ranks hard as well as South Carolina, Georgia and South Florida.
-One pretty cool note: The team received a police escort from the Alabama state line to the stadium and then from the stadium to the Georgia state line.  That's impressive folks.

Talking GSU vs. Alabama with RollBamaRoll.com

Got a chance to catch up with Paul Holley of RollBamaRoll.com and he was gracious enough to spend some time talking about Thursday's game and a few other thoughts.

PantherTalk.com: How do Tide fans view this game? The reason I ask is when it was announced many Tide fans groaned. When it was moved by Alabama even more were upset because it was a rare weeknight game in Tuscaloosa.

PH: I think some 'Bama fans are upset about the scheduling of the game on a Thursday night throwing a kink in their normal weekend routines and travel plans, but on the whole I don't think there are any great complaints here. Admittedly scheduling a Division 1-AA upstart is not the most intriguing match-up for late November, but clearly the idea is to create as easy of a game as possible to help preparations for the Iron Bowl. I think the bulk of the fan base, while not overly excited about the opponent or the date, realizes that this is probably a necessary evil.

PantherTalk.com: What do you believe Saban's plan for the game will be? I beleive the Mississippi State will likely be a very physical battle and you guys already have a few players, including Trent Richardson and others on defense knicked up before facing Auburn 8 days later.

PH: I would expect a pretty vanilla game plan where we attempt to do those things that we normally do on both sides of the football. I'm sure we'll try to establish a big lead early and then pull the starters from there. A year ago in this game against Tennessee-Chattanooga, the starters played the first half but few saw action in the second half, and I would imagine that is the ideal scenario for our coaching staff again this year. I think you might see some extra precaution with a few players that are ailing -- Trent Richardson will be unlikely to play, for example, even though he probably could if absolutely necessary -- and clearly the goal is self-preservation with the Auburn game eight days away.

PantherTalk.com: What are fans saying about Bill Curry's return? His last game in Tuscaloosa was a 35-7 loss in 1996 when he was coaching Kentucky (his last year with the Wildcats).

PH: Justified or not, the bulk of the UA fan base has never liked Curry for a variety of reasons. Having said that, though, Curry hasn't coached at Alabama in over 20 years now, and for the most part it's largely irrelevant. Most fans thirty-five and under have little or no memory of Curry's three seasons in Tuscaloosa, and the ones who can remember it vividly have probably moved on at this point. I doubt any tears will be shed if Curry gets taken to the woodshed once again like he did in 1996, but I honestly don't think anyone will really care all that much one way or the other. The goal is to win the game with as little effort and human cost as possible, and anything involving Curry is just a sideshow at best.

PantherTalk.com: Has Georgia State gained any respect in Tide's fans eyes since the preseason after taking Jacksonville State in OT in Week 3 and not showing that they'll roll over and die like many expected this first year program to do?

PH: I think those that have really paid attention to Georgia State this season are probably a bit surprised that there haven't been quite as many struggles as you typically expect with start-up programs, and at this point I really don't think that anyone legitimately expects them to just roll over for us. Having said that, though, that still doesn't change the fact that we are probably one of the best ten or fifteen teams in the country and that anyone in that position should handle a Division 1-AA upstart with ease, even if they have surprised some people in their inaugural season. I don't think anyone lacks respect as much as they just have a legitimate expectation for how this game should turn out.

5. We are expecting approx. 7500 Georgia State fans in Tuscaloosa next week and would love some insight on seeing one of college football's legendary stadiums. What are your best bets for fans to see while in town? Best places to eat/visit?

PH: In terms of college football history, a stop by the Bryant Museum is an absolute must. For food, my suggestion is Dreamland, but there are quite a few other places worth trying like the Waysider for breakfast or Chuck's for a bit more of a pricey meal. A lot of people prefer Archibald's in Northport for BBQ, but you really cannot go wrong either way. If you're looking for a drink, the best bet is to go to the Strip given its proximity to Bryant-Denny Stadium, and if you can make sure you hit up Egan's. Tell 'em you found out about them through RBR.

Thanks again to Paul and check out the best Alabama fan site on the web.  RBR Link