ATLANTA -- The Georgia State defense is an experienced unit that returns nine starters, and that excites defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as he enters his fourth season at GSU.
The Panthers are preparing for their Sept. 2 season opener, when the host Ball State at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Dome.
"This group has a lot of experience, so this is a great opportunity to keep this journey going that we started with a lot of these same guys four years ago," said Minter, whose defense was the most improved in FBS in 2015.
"For about half the group, it's their third or fourth year in the system, and the rest are in their second year," he continued. "So that gives us a lot of confidence in their ability to know what we want them to do and a lot of opportunity for us to keep expanding what we do and still go out and execute at a high level."
"We want to be complex and be a team that is tough to prepare for, but we want to play fast and communicate well," Minter added.
Defensive end Shawanye Lawrence is GSU's most experienced defender with 36 career starts and 116 career tackles, going back to 2013 when he started as a true freshman. Defensive linemen Jalen Lawrence, Mackendy Cheridor, Tevin Jones and Carnell Hopson have also been playing since 2013, and cornerback Chandon Sullivan enters his third year as a starter. Other returning starters include safety Bobby Baker, cornerback Jerome Smith and outside linebacker Michael Shaw.
After five days of preseason practice, head coach Trent Miles says the Panthers are "eager."
"I see an eager football team, and I see flashes on both sides of the football, but at the same time we're a work in progress," Miles said on Day 5 of preseason camp. "We're a talented football team, and now we've got to become a smart and talented football team."
Miles announced that running back Taz Bateman suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice. The junior from Inglewood, Calif., is eligible for a redshirt year and will have two seasons to play.
The versatile Bateman was expected to be a key performer after rushing for 270 yards on 50 carries last season, despite missing six games with a broken arm.
The Panthers still have their top three rushers from 2015 in Glenn Smith (89 attempts, 356 yards, 1 TD), Kyler Neal (83-327-5) and Demarcus Kirk (75-320-2). Junior Kendrick Dorn joins the mix after missing the 2015 season with a knee injury, and true freshmen Darius Stubbs (Riverdale, Ga.) and Tra Barnett (Elberton, Ga.) could also earn playing time.
After five straight days of practice, the Panthers will have a "recovery day" Tuesday consisting of weight-lifting, meetings and walk-throughs. The next full practice is Wednesday morning at 9:50 a.m.
