2021 Georgia State
8–5 (6–2 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Shawn Elliott. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 22 Coastal Carolina 42–40Nov 13
Coastal Carolina was ranked No. 22 and favored to win.
- Most excitingBeat Georgia Southern 21–14Oct 30
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | vs Army | L 10–43 | 54% |
| Sep 11 | at 24North Carolina | L 17–59 | 29% |
| Sep 18 | vs Charlotte | W 20–9 | 55% |
| Sep 25 | at 23Auburn | L 24–34 | 29% |
| Oct 2 | vs App State | L 16–45 | 34% |
| Oct 9 | at UL Monroe | W 55–21 | 52% |
| Oct 23 | vs Texas State | W 28–16 | 75% |
| Oct 30 | at Georgia Southern | W 21–14 | 48% |
| Nov 4 | at 24Louisiana | L 17–21 | 21% |
| Nov 13 | at 22Coastal Carolina | W 42–40 | 21% |
| Nov 20 | vs Arkansas State | W 28–20 | 77% |
| Nov 27 | vs Troy | W 37–10 | 67% |
| Dec 25Bowls & playoff | vs Ball StateCamellia Bowl | W 51–20 | 53% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Ball State 51–20 in the Camellia Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the Sun Belt Conference.
In program history: The best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 17 on file).
- Record
- 8–5
- Conference
- 6–2 tied for 3rd in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 366–352
- Coach
- Shawn Elliott
- Elo
- 1580 +70 this season
- SP+ rating
- 1.8 No. 71 of 130; offense No. 77, defense No. 65
- SRS
- −3.3 No. 85 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 100% of last season’s EPA, No. 5 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 102 roster talent No. 102 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Brad Glenn
- Defensive coordinator
- Nate Fuqua
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.19 | 47% | 1.17 | 40th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.11 | 40% | 1.31 | 52nd of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.16 off 0.13 def | 45% off 41% def | — | 59th off 65th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.3 | own 25 | 14% allowed |
| Defense | 3.1 | own 29 | 18% caused |
CORE rating 4.5, 53rd of 130 (offense 2.0, defense -2.5).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Darren Grainger QB | 1,715 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Darren Grainger QB | 19 TD |
| Rushing yards | Tucker Gregg RB | 953 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jamyest Williams RB | 9 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jamari Thrash WR | 452 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Aubry Payne TE | 7 TD |
| Tackles | Jordan Veneziale LB | 96 tkl |
| Sacks | Blake Carroll LB | 5.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Antavious Lane DB | 5 INT |
Top recruits in the 2021 class
| Brylan Lanier CB | ★★★ | No. 1142 |
| Jordan Jones LB | ★★★ | No. 1281 |
| Jamarion Ellis LB | ★★★ | No. 1463 |
| Chris Davis Jr. LB | ★★★ | No. 1517 |
| Evan Graham LB | ★★★ | No. 1628 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2021 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.800 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.815 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.822 |
| Linebackers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 2.5 | 0.778 |
| Whole class | 16 | 2.9 | 0.821 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 109
The 2021 roster109 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 67 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 3
The 2021 portal Shamar McCollum WDE | ★★★ | from  Wake Forest |
 Ja’Cyais Credle WR | ★★★ | from  UCF |
 Darren Grainger DUAL | from  Furman |
Transfers out 7
 Jordan Strachan OLB | ★★★★ | to  South Carolina |
| Brylan Lanier CB | ★★★ | to  Alabama |
| Jeff Miller OL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Tahji Gilbert DL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Cedric Stone CB | ★★ | to  Liberty |
| Evan Jones CB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| T.J. Arnold DE | no new school on file |
2021 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 8–0 | 13–1 | 16 |
| App State | 7–1 | 10–4 | |
| Coastal Carolina | 6–2 | 11–2 | |
| Georgia State | 6–2 | 8–5 | |
| Troy | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Texas State | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
 South Alabama | 2–6 | 5–7 | |
| UL Monroe | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Georgia Southern | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Arkansas State | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.