Three months ago, Tyden Ferris had never heard of Georgia State University. Today he’s being counted on to be a key starter on the Panthers’ offensive line.
Ferris is a graduate transfer from Central Michigan. With one final season of eligibility remaining, Ferris wanted to try something different, see an unfamiliar part of the country and get a taste of playing in the big city. Georgia State seemed like a good fit.
“I played at Central Michigan for five years and loved every minute of it,” Ferris said. “For my sixth year I was looking for a new opportunity. I never thought of Georgia, but after that phone call from (offensive line) coach (John) Holt, I came down for a visit, fell in love with it, and now I’m here.”
Ferris is from Delton, Michigan, a tiny town of less than 1,000 that’s located about an hour south of Grand Rapids. He went to Central Michigan – the school both his parents attended – located in Mount Pleasant, smack in the middle of the Michigan Mitt. It’s a typical midwestern college town.
Now that Ferris and his wife have arrived in Atlanta, they’ve had a chance to sample city life. They’ve visited the Ponce City Market, made the trek to Stone Mountain and walked along the Beltline. It didn’t take long for Ferris to know that this was going to be a different experience.
“So, we went from a college-town vibe to the city of Atlanta, where it’s an eight-lane super-highway,” Ferris said. “It’s crazy here, but the weather … they had a huge snowstorm up there, and here it’s like 80 degrees and I’m sweating.”
Ferris answered one of the big holes left on the offensive line when six-year starter Pat Bartlett graduated. Holt discovered Ferris had entered the transfer portal, was the first to contact him and made a scholarship offer within 15 minutes of their initial conversation.
Ferris checked a lot of boxes for Georgia State. He had the size – 6-foot-5, 310 pounds – and the experience, having started the past two seasons. He has the grades, too, achieving the academic all-conference team twice. And he has the strength that coach Shawn Elliott wants in his linemen.
“He’s a very mature man,” Elliott said. “He was very business-like right away. He was one of the strongest members of our team right off the bat, and he’s stepped in there and hasn’t missed a beat. He’s made a difference in our football team.”
Ferris liked the idea of coming to an offense that embraces the run game. The Panthers ranked No. 1 in rushing in the Sun Belt Conference and No. 14 in NCAA Division I last season, at 214.2 yards per game. Ferris is expected to be a mainstay in helping retain that reputation.
“One of the big things that brought me here was knowing that the head coach was an old offensive line coach,” Ferris said. “So I’ve got two coaches coaching me every day, which I really liked.”
This spring, Ferris is learning the offensive terminology for his new school and has embraced his role on the line.
“Any time you’ve got a hard worker and you’ve got a veteran-like mentality, you’re going to fit in, and he’s done a nice job,” Elliott said. “I think all our players around here respect him for how hard he works. It’s hard to gain that respect that quickly, but he’s done it.”
Georgia State will have its spring game March 9 at Center Parc Stadium.
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Credit: Stan Awtrey
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