ATLANTA--Entering his 20th year as a collegiate head coach, not to mention his long playing career in college and the National Football League, Georgia State's Bill Curry knows a thing or two about the first day of practice.
"I guess I'm supposed to say, 'It looked a lot like the first day of practice," said Curry, whose Panthers held their first workout of the 2012 season Wednesday morning at the GSU Practice Complex. "You hope it will be sharp, but it usually isn't.
"It was ragged, but it was a reasonable start. The effort was good for the most part, and the will is there."
One focus for Georgia State this preseason is stabilizing the quarterback position. The Panthers will start a different quarterback in their season opener for the third year in a row, and if redshirt freshman Ben McLane maintains the lead he earned in the spring, GSU will have a quarterback taking his first collegiate snap for the third straight opener.
McLane, the former state championship quarterback at Brookwood High School (Snellville, Ga.), emerged from spring with the edge, but the competition resumes with junior Kelton Hill, who started the final five games of last season. Hill passed for 1,021 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 609 yards and four scores, but he looks to improve his accuracy and consistency. Also joining the competition is Ohio transfer Ronnie Bell, a redshirt freshman.
"I was pleased with all of them. I thought we had a lot of retention from the spring as far as the up-tempo, no-huddle stuff," offensive coordinator John Bond said of the quarterbacks. "We've got to throw and catch the football better, but we'll get there."
Another challenge as the Panthers prepare for their Aug. 30 season opener is an offensive line that graduated four starters. Although junior right tackle Grant King is the only returning starter, the GSU coaches have confidence in the unit, which also features junior Ulrick John at left tackle, junior Harrison Clotty and sophomore Tim Wynn at the guards, and junior Michael Davis at center.
"I'm excited about our offensive line," said Bond. "In this instance, I'll trade experience for the quickness and athleticism of this group."
On defense, the Panthers have added defensive lineman Theo Agnew, a transfer from Massachusetts who is slated at defensive end but could also play inside. He is a 6-4, 260-pound redshirt junior from Windsor, Conn.
Preseason drills continue with workouts scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The first practice in full pads is Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Georgia State opens the season by hosting South Carolina State on Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Georgia Dome.
Season and individual game tickets are on sale now: 866-GA-STATE or GeorgiaStateSports.com.
--30--
