The Panthers’ Double-Edged Sword

After head basketball coach Jonas Hayes took the job at Georgia State, he was immediately met with a disadvantage. He was losing a lot of his players to graduation and the transfer portal. The players transferring weren’t leaving due to Hayes in particular, but they saw situations that better fit their collegiate basketball careers. Corey Allen, Kane Williams and big man Eliel Nsoseme - all seniors, left the program for graduation. In the portal, he lost Jalen Thomas to Butler and Chien Hao Ma. Hayes got busy right when his plane touched down in Atlanta. He put his hands in the dirt and got messy in the transfer portal. He brought home Dwon Odom and Breden Tucker - two guards who played at high levels at their previous programs. Jamaine Mann also transferred to the Panthers from the high-level SEC program at Vanderbilt University. He also recruited 6 ‘10” center, Edward Nnamoka from Riviera Prep out of Miami. The team was set to come into the 2022-23 year with some momentum, especially since they had just come off an NCAA tournament appearance the year before.

Unfortunately, the season was one to forget. The team went 10-21, 10-9 at home and 0-11 on the road. They also finished 3-15 in conference play and ended the season on an eight-game losing streak. It was apparent nobody was happy with the way the team played this year, especially the players. Following the end of the season, six players hit the portal. Joe Jones, Kalik Brooks, Kaleb Scott, Evan Johnson, Danny Stubbs and Jamall Clyce all look to transfer in hopes to find their new basketball home. GSU staff, players and coaches are bound to miss these guys, but it’s part of the college game.

This offseason, Hayes has been on a roll. So far, Hayes has brought in three new guys from the portal. Leslie Nkereuwem from Longwood University is one of the three new ad- ditions. Nkereuwem brings experience to this Panther squad. In his 2020-21 season, he helped lead Longwood to their first Big South Conference Championship.

Julian Mackey, one of the top Junior College players in the nation at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M has also committed to the Panthers. Mackey averaged 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game and shot the three at almost 43% last year. He’ll bring a dynamic aspect offensively to this team and allow the Panthers to efficiently space the floor on offense.

Toneari Lane finishes off the list of Panther transfers this offseason. Lane averaged 10.3 points and 2.4 rebounds while at Winthrop University. He’s originally from Atlanta and as Panthers’ fans know, Hayes loves to recruit local guys to put on for the city.

DK Manyiel and Vashon Ferguson, both from Georgia, have both signed their letters of intent and plan to play an integral part on this Georgia State squad next season. DK Manyiel, a 7-foot center looks to join Edward Nnamako as another big man on this team. This duo could prove to be lethal. Ferguson, a 6 ‘4” shooting guard out of Grovetown, GA had offers to D-1 programs across the country, but ultimately chose the Panthers.

It’s apparent the program isn’t satisfied with how the season ended last year. This caused the coaching staff to lock in following the end of the season. This Panthers’ team looks prepared to cause some ruckus in the Sun Belt next season. Panthers’ fans will need patience until the next season starts, but it seems the best is soon to come.

One of the biggest names connected to Atlanta is Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson, who stands at 6’6”, and weighs 275 pounds. During his senior year with the Red Raiders, Wilson led the team in sacks with seven in just ten starts before a foot injury cut his final season short. This was enough to grant him first-team All-American, and first-team all-conference being the first Red Raider player to do so since 2013.

Last year the Falcons finished with the second-lowest number of sacks in the league, only being able to muster 21. To say they need an improvement on the defensive line would be an understatement, but with the recent signing of veteran Calais Campbell, and star tackle Grady Gerrett, Wilson would greatly benefit from learning under these two former all-pros.

Another player Atlanta could look at selecting is standout wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba out of Ohio State University. While Smith-Njigba missed most of last season with a hamstring injury, teams are more reliant on Smith-Njigba’s production during his sophomore campaign where he tallied up 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns in thirteen games. His best outing came against Utah, a game in which he finished with a record-breaking 347 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The Falcons have made it clear that they will be sticking with second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder to line up under center, and with receiving core consisting of both Drake London and Kyle Pitts, Smith-Njigba would give Rid- der yet another target and setting him up for a potential breakout season. Smith-Njigba has received high praise from teammates such as former costar wide receiver Garrett Wilson. “Jaxon is as good as I’ve ever seen, probably the best I’ve ever seen, Jaxon is the most natural athlete I’ve ever seen,” Wilson said.

One last potential pick for the Falcons comes in the form of defensive end Nolan Smith from the University of Georgia. The former number one ranked recruit in the nation coming out of high school stood out at the NFL combine running a 4.39 40-yard dash making him the fastest edge rusher in this year’s draft. During his tenure at Georgia, he recorded 11.5 sacks, 21.5 tackles for loss and 78 pressures in 46 games as a Bulldog.

During the combine, Smith talked about how motivated he is to play. “I’m player-led and self-driven,” Smith said. “You’re not going to have to tell me to go, I promise you I’m going to go naturally on my own, I wake up out of bed, I’m juiced up, ready, just excited. Man, we play the best game in the world.” As said before, the Falcons desperately need help on the defensive line, and the addition of Smith could have the positive impact this defense has been searching for. Atlanta is looking to radically change the notion they have created over the past few seasons as a bottom-tier defense with an ineffective pass rush being the leading cause for its struggles.

Overall, the Falcons have many options to choose from with a top-ten pick. Atlanta also has the option to trade down and gather more picks if necessary, but fans are hoping this will be the year Atlanta can make a push to win the NFC South, and with the new regimen of coaches there is much to look forward to.