The situation at running back has changed for Georgia State. A week before its bowl game in December, the cupboard appeared to be bare. Now that spring practice has started, the opposite is true.
With the emergence of Freddie Brock at the Potato Bowl and the addition of two high-profile transfers, the Panthers have gone from scarcity to surplus in the backfield. The staff now must figure out how to deal with a position that suddenly has the most depth on the roster.
“That will all unfold here in the spring,” Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott said. “We’re going to find out what each one of them has, and we’ll make our opinions and formulate our plan after spring practice and throughout the summer, and it’ll start falling in place.”
The incumbent is Freddie Brock, who filled the unexpired term of all-Sun Belt selection Marcus Carroll when he transferred to Missouri after the regular season. Brock, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound junior, was a transfer from Maine who carried only six times in the 2023 regular season. Given an opportunity in the bowl, he shredded Utah State for a school-record 276 yards and one touchdown.
“You don’t think he’s fired up for this season and to go into spring?” Elliott said.
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Credit: Stan Awtrey
The credentialed newcomers are C.J. Beasley (5-9, 212), who transferred in as a graduate transfer from Coastal Carolina, and Domonique Thomas (5-9, 202), a junior who transferred from Clemson.
It should be a spirited competition from which no one is backing down.
“We’re competing. Everybody’s competing,” Beasley said. “I’ve got to do my best every day because we’re fighting for a spot. If you’re slacking, it’s going to get you one day.”
Thomas said, “You come to compete every day, whether it’s somebody at your position or the other team. That’s what you do, you compete.”
Beasley was an all-Sun Belt selection in 2022 and ran for 1,072 yards and eight touchdowns with 34 receptions and one touchdown during his time at Coastal Carolina.
“After the last game, I kind of knew it was time to leave,” Beasley said. “When they called me here, I knew they run the ball here. So, it’s going to be a good spot.”
Beasley is a more proven commodity. He describes himself as a playmaker with a high football IQ. He is an astute viewer of game film and said he’s always picking up little details to help his game.
“And I’m aggressive,” he said. “Just an all-around football player.”
Credit: Jason Getz
Credit: Jason Getz
Thomas was a walk-on at Clemson who was good enough to earn a scholarship before his freshman season. He played in four games in 2022 and 12 games in 2023, when he ran for 116 yards and one touchdown on only 18 carries.
“On my visit I heard a lot about how much the school runs the ball, and that’s what I want to come and do,” said Thomas, who described himself as a versatile player with a high football IQ.
The roles and the approach will start to be sorted out this spring.
Two years ago, Georgia State used a two-pronged approach at running back, splitting the carries between the bullish Tucker Gregg and the elusive Jamyest Williams. Last year the Panthers leaned on the muscular Carroll, who had 274 carries for 1,350 yards. Elliott isn’t sure what the approach will be for 2024.
“It all depends,” Elliott said. “What happens out there on the field is certainly the most important thing. But you’ve got to carry yourself well off the field, you’ve got to do well in that weight room, your classroom has to be on point. Everything you do in life is going to dictate everything that you do out on the field. Some of them take that to heart, and some of them don’t. But if they want to play here and play at a high level and play a lot of reps, they better live it.”
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