The Panthers will be ushering in much change with some new faces in important places.
The Panthers will look to replace Albert Wilson, Kelton Hill, Theo Agnew, Travis Evans and Ulrick John among others. Here are the most looked-upon new players for the 2014 season.
Nick Arbuckle
The first promising newcomer comes in the most important position in football—quarterback. Junior college transfer Nick Arbuckle appears to have his hands grasped on the starting quarterback job.
Arbuckle comes to the Panthers from L.A.-Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California. Arbuckle threw for 3,774 yards as a freshman along with 40 touchdowns. He then followed that up with a 2,852 yard season his sophomore season with 26 touchdown passes.
Arbuckle has a pro-style skill set and is appreciated by his new number-one target, sophomore wide receiver Robert Davis.
“He’s real smart, knows the game a lot, he’s a real good all-around football player and can make every throw on the field,” Davis said of the incoming QB. “I’m looking forward to playing with him this year.”
Arbuckle will look to take over the starting quarterback job and have a big season for the Panthers.
Michael Ivory
The team also has a promising player to replace Ulrick John on the offensive line in the form of the 6 foot 5, 340-pound Michael Ivory. Ivory is a Louisville, Kentucky native and attended Coffeyville Community College last season.
Ivory has three seasons of eligibility for The Panthers. Ivory was an second-team all-conference player during his freshman season and will look to build on that as he enters the fold at Georgia State.
In preseason practices, Ivory has caught the eye of his fellow offensive player—sophomore Robert Davis.
“He’s a big body, not quite sure how big he is but he’s a real big body,” Davis said. “He sticks on his blocks, he does his assignments and he’s a real coachable player. I’ve really been impressed with him.”
Krysten Hammon
Georgia State also may rely on a young running back to put some pop into the run game. This will be in the form of freshman 5 foot 9, 180-pounder Krysten Hammon to go along with returners Kyler Neal and Jonathan Jean-Bart.
Hammon is from Hitchcock in the football factory state of Texas where he ran for 2,000 yards as a senior at Dickinson High School. Hammon also ran for 1,480 yard and 19 touchdowns in his junior season.
Hammon was named First-Team All-District 24, All-County and All-Greater Houston in his senior season.
He received interest from schools such as Texas State University, Baylor, Boise State and Colorado.
Hammon may find himself in the middle of a running back competition to replace Travis Evans and be a potential fixture in the Panthers’ backfield rotation.
Antreal Allen
These next promising newcomers hail from the defensive backfield–including the highly recruited Antreal Allen from Auburn, Alabama.
Allen is a 5-foot-11, 180-pound cornerback. He played high school football at Auburn High School where he also played basketball and baseball, showing his athleticism and versatility.
In his senior season at Auburn High, Allen picked off six passes while adding 42 total tackles. Allen was named First Team All-Alabama by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
Allen was widely considered a three-star prospect by most recruiting services and looks to have a role with the Panthers sooner rather than later. He will be a player to watch as he becomes more comfortable with college football, collegiate-style offenses and the Georgia State playbook.
Chandon Sullivan
Another promising newcomer to the secondary is 5-foot-11 Winder, Georgia-native Chandon Sullivan. Sullivan played his high school football at Winder-Barrow High School.
He was an impressive two-way threat for the Winder-Barrow team as he played running back as well as cornerback. Sullivan was named All-Area by the Athens-Banner Herald. He also played on the basketball team for Winder-Barrow and made second-team All-Region 8-AAAAA.
He has turned some of the offensive players’ heads already.
“The one that’s stood out to me the most and the one I’ve went against the most is probably Chandon Sullivan,” Davis said. “He’s a real athletic kid. Probably got a 41 or 42 inch vertical. He’s fast; he’s just a real athletic kid that can make whole lot of plays and distract receivers.”
