Georgia State Football: Way-too-Early Look at 2016 - Defensive Line

Defensive End

Who's Gone: Derrick Cannon

Who's New: Terry Thomas

Outlook: Georgia State isn't losing anything here, as I couldn't find any information at all about Derrick Cannon. So as far as I can tell, he didn't even play any snaps. More importantly, the Panthers are also returning both starters here in Shawayne Lawrence (who will be a senior) and Mackendy Cheridor (who will be a junior). Cheridor was the Panthers' leading sacker with 3.0 sacks and also added 34 tackles (26 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Lawrence was also pretty solid with 41 tackles (26 solo), 3.5 TFL, four pass break-ups and a fumble recovery.

As their back-ups, DeQueszman Kelley and Carnell Hopson figure to be the guys there. The Panthers also have quite a few more guys on the roster that could step in and provide some nice depth there if need be.

Nose Tackle:

Who's Gone: David Huey

Who's New: Clifford Amazan

Outlook: Again, the Panthers didn't really lose a whole lot here. Huey was a valuable back-up, but he was a back-up. He also played in just four games this year.

Starting here will likely be Jalen Lawrence, who finished last year with 21 tackles (10 solo) and 1.5 TFL. He's been a solid anchor in the middle of the Panthers' defensive line the last two years, and now that he's a senior, I'm sure he's going to want to go out strong, so I'm expecting a good season fro Lawrence.

As for his back-up, there are a few options. The biggest option is Julien Laurent. Standing at 6-foot-4, 325 pounds, Laurent would add some serious size to this defensive line. He also has nice long arms, which helped him block a PAT in the win against New Mexico last season. The other options are Juan Orozco (6-foot, 290 pounds) and Nich Long (6-foot-5, 294 pounds).