Head Coach
SHAWN ELLIOTT 2017 – Present
Highlights of Elliott’s first four years at GSU include the first bowl victory in school history, Georgia State’s first winning season as an FBS program, and school-record seven-win campaigns in both 2017 and 2019.
A coaching veteran who brought 20 years of experience in winning programs, Shawn Elliott was introduced as Georgia State’s third head football coach on Dec. 9, 2016. He came to GSU after highly successful stints at South Carolina, where he served as the co-offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and interim head coach, and Appalachian State, where he coached the offensive line. In 24 seasons as a Division I coach, Elliott has been part of 21 winning seasons, 19 teams that reached the NCAA playoffs or a bowl game, and three consecutive NCAA FCS titles from 2005-07. That success has continued at Georgia State, where Elliott has led the Panthers to bowl games and winning seasons in three of his four years in Atlanta, including the first two bowl victories in program history. Elliott and his staff navigated the unique challenges of 2020 to steer the Panthers to a winning season, capped by a victory in the LendingTree Bowl, marking the first back-to-back winning records and bowl
berths in school history as well as the program’s highest winning percentage at .600. The 2020 Panthers featured another prolific offense that averaged a school-record 33.3 points per game and an opportunistic defense that ranked in the top 10 in the nation in sacks with 35, another school record, and turnovers forced with 21. Along the way, a program-record 14 individuals earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors. Other highlights of Elliott’s first four years at GSU include the first bowl victory in school history, Georgia State’s first winning season as an FBS program, and school-record seven-win campaigns in both 2017 and 2019. The 2019 season began with another major first for the Georgia State program as Elliott’s Panthers earned a dominating 38-30 victory over Tennessee at Neyland Stadium for the school’s first win over a Power 5 opponent. Elliott was named the Dodd Trophy National Coach of the Week, and his Panthers were recognized as the FWAA Reveal Suits National Team of the Week. That is the third time that Elliott has been part of the National Team of the Week; his Appalachian State (Continued on page 19)
2021 GEORGIA STATE FOOTBALL
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