2023 Georgia State

7–⁠6 (3–⁠5 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Shawn Elliott.

Schedule and results

Georgia State in 2023, game by game: won vs. Rhode Island 42–35; won vs. UConn 35–14; won at Charlotte 41–25; won at Coastal Carolina 30–17; lost vs. Troy 7–28; won vs. Marshall 41–24; won at Louisiana 20–17; lost at Georgia Southern 27–44; lost vs. No. 23 James Madison 14–42; lost vs. App State 14–42; lost at No. 15 LSU 14–56; lost at Old Dominion 24–25; won vs. Utah State 45–22+23−42Won 42–35 vs. Rhode Island+7Rhode IslandWon 35–14 vs. UConn+21UConnWon 41–25 at Charlotte+16CharlotteWon 30–17 at Coastal Carolina+13Coastal CarolinaLost 7–28 vs. Troy-21TroyWon 41–24 vs. Marshall+17MarshallWon 20–17 at Louisiana+3LouisianaLost 27–44 at Georgia Southern-17Georgia SouthernLost 14–42 vs. No. 23 James Madison-28No. 23 James MadisonLost 14–42 vs. App State-28App StateLost 14–56 at No. 15 LSU-42No. 15 LSULost 24–25 at Old Dominion-1Old DominionWon 45–22 vs. Utah State+23Utah State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 31vsRhode IslandW 42–⁠3576%
Sep 9vsUConnW 35–⁠1472%
Sep 16atCharlotteW 41–⁠2564%
Sep 21atCoastal CarolinaW 30–⁠1744%
Sep 30vsTroyL 7–⁠2858%
Oct 14vsMarshallW 41–⁠2450%
Oct 21atLouisianaW 20–⁠1745%
Oct 26atGeorgia SouthernL 27–⁠4451%
Nov 4vs23James MadisonL 14–⁠4243%
Nov 11vsApp StateL 14–⁠4258%
Nov 18at15LSUL 14–⁠5621%
Nov 25atOld DominionL 24–⁠2547%
Dec 23vsUtah StateFamous Idaho Potato BowlW 45–⁠2252%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Utah State 45–⁠22 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 9th in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 4th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 17 on file).

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
3–⁠5 tied for 9th in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
354–⁠391
Coach
Shawn Elliott
Elo
1500 −5 this season
SP+ rating
-6.8 No. 87 of 133; offense No. 58, defense No. 109, special teams No. 113
SRS
−5.8 No. 94 of 133 in FBS
Returning
69% of last season’s EPA, No. 29 of 131
Recruiting class
No. 116 roster talent No. 87 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Trent McKnight
Defensive coordinator
Chad Staggs
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense64th of 133
  • Defense77th of 133
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted70th of 133
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted75th of 133
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1041%1.3364th of 133
Defense0.1242%1.3877th of 133
Opponent-adjusted0.10 off
0.12 def
40% off
42% def
—70th off
75th 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 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.9own 2916% allowed
Defense4.0own 2915% caused

CORE rating -5.9, 92nd of 133 (offense -3.5, defense 2.3).

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 yardsDarren Grainger QB2,625 yds
Passing touchdownsDarren Grainger QB20 TD
Rushing yardsMarcus Carroll RB1,350 yds
Rushing touchdownsMarcus Carroll RB13 TD
Receiving yardsRobert Lewis WR881 yds
Receiving touchdownsRobert Lewis WR7 TD
TacklesJontrey Hunter LB94 tkl
SacksJavon Denis DL5 sacks
InterceptionsGavin Pringle CB4 INT

Top recruits in the 2023 class

Braylen Ragland QB★★★No. 1393
Quentin Thomas WR★★★No. 1463
Marlon McClendon CB★★★No. 1896
Dorian Fleming ATH★★★No. 1924
Cam Marshall S★★★No. 2150

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2023 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks23.00.836
Receivers13.00.849
Offensive line13.00.810
Defensive line13.00.820
Linebackers13.00.814
Defensive backs33.00.821
Athletes and specialists23.00.820
Whole class113.00.824

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.

Drafted in 2024

The 2024 draft
Rd 6Travis Glover OTGreen Bay Packers

Roster 101

The 2023 roster

101 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 65 have a stat line. See the roster

2023 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
James Madison7–⁠111–⁠2
Troy7–⁠111–⁠3
App State6–⁠29–⁠5
Coastal Carolina5–⁠38–⁠5
Old Dominion5–⁠36–⁠7
Texas State4–⁠48–⁠5
South Alabama4–⁠47–⁠6
Arkansas State4–⁠46–⁠7
Georgia State3–⁠57–⁠6
Georgia Southern3–⁠56–⁠7
Marshall3–⁠56–⁠7
Louisiana3–⁠56–⁠7
Southern Miss2–⁠63–⁠9
UL Monroe0–⁠82–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.